General Assembly President discusses global issues with Indian Prime Minister

General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, who is on an official visit to India, today discussed reform and revitalization of the United Nations with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a meeting that also touched on the state of the global economy.

The two officials also discussed the forthcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which will be held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro in June, as well as the situation in the Middle East.

Earlier, Mr. Al-Nasser met with the chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Rajendra K. Pachauri, who is also Director-General of the Energy and Resources Institute of India (TERI).

Mr. Al-Nasser commended TERI for its contribution in the fields of energy, the environment and sustainable development. The discussions between the Assembly President and Mr. Pachauri also touched on Rio+20.

Yesterday, Mr. Al-Nasser conferred with India’s Minister for External Affairs S.M. Krishna on a wide range of issues, including the latest developments in Syria, the state of the world economy, preparations for Rio+20, as well as the revitalization of the General Assembly and Security Council reform.

Mr. Al-Nasser is scheduled to travel next to Egypt, where he is due to meet with the country’s Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Nabil Al Araby.