Activities of Secretary-General in India, 8-11 September

On Friday, 8 September, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in New Delhi from Jakarta to attend the annual G20 Summit, hosted by India. 

In a press conference held at the UN House in New Delhi on Friday, the Secretary-General welcomed the Summit’s theme:  “One Earth, One Family, One Future”.  Unfortunately, he added, “if we are indeed one global family — we today resemble a rather dysfunctional one”, with divisions growing, tensions flaring up and trust eroding.

Mr. Guterres said he had come to the G20 with a simple but urgent call for the leaders:  “We must come together and act together for the common good.”  He called on the countries assembled at the summit to show leadership on climate and on rescuing the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Secretary-General called for the implementation of a Sustainable Development Goals stimulus fund of $500 billion.  He also called for an effective debt workout mechanism to support payment suspensions, longer lending terms and lower rates on fairer terms.  He reiterated his appeal for change in the business model of multilateral development banks to massively leverage private finance.

On 10 September, the Secretary-General signed the Wall of Peace and laid a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial.  On Saturday and Sunday, the Secretary-General participated in a number of G20 sessions and held bilateral meetings with other world leaders for discussions on topics including climate, development and technology.  He also met with the UN country team in India. 

The Secretary-General arrived back in New York very early on Monday morning, 11 September.