UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on India visit; to pay tributes to 26/11 terror attacks victims in Mumbai

UN Chief Antonio Guterres

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will pay tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai on Tuesday on the first day of his three-day visit to India.

It will be the first visit of Guterres to India since his second term in office commenced in January. He had earlier visited the country in October 2018 during his first term at the top office.

The UN secretary general will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event relating to the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) in Gujarat's Kevadiya on October 20.

His visit to the country comes more than a week before the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee holds its two-day deliberations in India.

"Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, will be on an official visit to India from October 18-20," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

It said Guterres will commence his visit to India by paying tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai.

The Taj Mahal Palace hotel was one of the targets of the horrific 26/11 terror attacks in 2008.

Guterres will also deliver a public address at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai on the subject -- "India @75: UN-India Partnership: Strengthening South-South Cooperation."

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar would hold bilateral discussions with Guterres on issues of global concern, steps to deepen India's engagement with the UN, including through the country's upcoming presidency of the G20.

Guterres will attend the launch of the Mission LiFE booklet, logo and tagline in Kevadiya on October 20.

The concept of LiFE was introduced by Modi during the COP26 at Glasgow in November last year.

In Kevadiya, Guterres is expected to pay floral tributes at the Statue of Unity, the MEA said, adding that he will also visit the country's first solar-powered village in Modhera (Gujarat) and other development projects in the area.

The UN secretary general will also visit the Sun temple in Modhera, before departing for his onward destination, the MEA said.