Encourage India to continue to lead by example, work to bridge divides in world: UN PGA Francis

NEW DELHI/UNITED NATIONS: Calling India a “valuable” member of the UN, the president of the General Assembly on Tuesday said that he would encourage it to continue to lead by example, maintain its principled stance for achieving lasting peace through dialogue and diplomacy and to work to bridge divides around the world.

“India is already a key player, both globally and at the United Nations,” President of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly Dennis Francis said. He is on an official visit to India from January 22 to 26 and will hold bilateral discussions with the leadership and representatives of the Indian Government, and engage with civil society, leading think tanks, embark on field visits and participate in events related to sustainability, multilateralism, accessibility, and digital public infrastructure, among other engagements.

“Given India’s active role at the United Nations, I can only encourage India to maintain its principled stance for advancing the objective of achieving lasting peace through dialogue, diplomacy, and international cooperation as well as upholding international, humanitarian, and human rights law,” Francis said.

Francis said that one area in which India has indisputably displayed true leadership is that the country contributes significantly to the regular UN budget and consistently ranks as a top contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping operations.

During his visit, Jaishankar and he will hold a bilateral meeting in New Delhi and he will also meet with other key government officials.