UN General Assembly President Csaba Korosi to visit India from Jan 29-31

The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Csaba Korosi is all set to make an official visit to India from January 29 to 31 and will hold key meetings on priorities of the General Assembly.

During his visit, the UNGA President will meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, while continuing on topics raised during their last meeting in December like India's engagement with the UN body, the official statement of the UNGA read.

These priorities are also expected to be on the agenda when Korosi visits India's G20 Secretariat, and meets with a delegation led by Amitabh Kant, the G20 Sherpa.

His trip will also include conversations with government officials, leading national scientists and academics, and include field visits related to sustainable water use, according to the UNGA statement.

President Korosi's official visit, at the invitation of the Indian government, coincides with the assassination anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Martyrs' Day, which the President will commemorate by laying a wreath at Rajghat.

Among his other public appearances in New Delhi, Korosi will give a public address at the Indian Council of World Affairs under the theme of his priorities for the current General Assembly session, which is "Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science," the official statement said.

The visit's primary goal is to forge links between the General Assembly and science, particularly on the water issue, in advance of the UN-Water Conference in March.

The President will discuss India's water conservation projects with senior officials and experts at the National Institute for Transforming India, otherwise known as NITI Aayog, a commission whose primary responsibility is to implement and coordinate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) efforts in India.

The President is scheduled to participate in field visits in Bengaluru, where he will visit a water project site. While in the city, the President will also interact with national scientists and academics at the Indian Institute of Science.

The President will also meet with the UN Resident Coordinator in India, Shombi Sharp.

During the visit, Korosi will be joined by his Chef de Cabinet, Laszlo Szoke, the Chief Scientific Advisor, Johannes Cullmann, and two senior office colleagues.

Notably, the costs of the visit are covered by the Government and the OPGA Trust Fund. All efforts are made to keep the President's trips as cost, time and environmentally efficient as possible.

Meanwhile, after wrapping up his India visit, Korosi will head to China, where he will visit the International Research Centre of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, which facilitates the implementation of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In China, the UNGA President will also meet with senior government officials in the country.

Later Korosi is slated to visit Japan in the middle of February where the UNGA President will participate in a conference on water resilience, among other objectives, the official statement read.