UN Deputy Chief Amina Mohammed to visit India, focus on sustainable development
United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed will visit India from August 26 to 28, her office confirmed on Wednesday. The trip is aimed at strengthening UN-India cooperation and advancing the global sustainable development agenda.
Ms. Mohammed will be in China this week and then travel to Mongolia before arriving in India on her way back to New York. During her stay in New Delhi, she is scheduled to meet senior government officials to discuss bilateral cooperation between the world body and India, as well as India's role in promoting sustainable development.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, announced the visit at a daily press briefing on August 19. He said Ms. Mohammed will also interact with students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to exchange views on the opportunities and challenges of using digital innovation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Before arriving in India, Ms. Mohammed will co-convene the third dialogue on Artificial Intelligence and Human Development in China on August 20 and 21. According to Mr. Dujarric, the dialogue is part of a global series of high-level meetings bringing together leading thinkers from various countries and regions to examine how AI, one of humanity's most transformative technologies, is shaping human progress.
On August 23, Ms. Mohammed will travel to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on behalf of the Secretary-General, to attend the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17). During that visit, she is expected to underscore the urgency of accelerating land restoration, strengthening resilience, and advancing sustainable development in the face of desertification, land degradation, and drought, Mr. Dujarric said.
Ms. Mohammed is scheduled to return to New York on August 28.
This will be her second visit to India. In July 2023, she made her first trip to the country after being reappointed for a second five-year term as Deputy Secretary-General in January 2022. On that occasion, she met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and travelled to Bengaluru, where she engaged with experts from leading information technology research institutions and industry representatives. The discussions focused on India's achievements in the digital technology domain and how these could be replicated in the Global South to address developmental challenges.
The upcoming visit reflects India's growing role in global development efforts, particularly in leveraging technology for social progress. India has been an active participant in UN programmes on sustainable development and has contributed to initiatives aimed at bridging the digital divide. The visit also comes at a time when multilateral institutions are seeking stronger partnerships with rapidly developing economies.
Analysts see the trip as an opportunity for India to showcase its digital infrastructure and innovation ecosystem, while also reaffirming its commitment to the UN's 2030 Agenda. The interaction with students at IIT is expected to highlight the role of young researchers in advancing the SDGs through technological solutions.
