UN Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India this week for the BRICS summit, according to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. The confirmation came at Dujarric's briefing on Tuesday, even as the visit had not yet been officially announced at the time.

What the Spokesperson Said

Dujarric told reporters that while the trip had not been formally declared, he could confirm that Guterres 'will be there at the BRICS summit.' He added: 'I think you can expect him to meet with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi.' The remarks signal a high-level diplomatic engagement on the sidelines of the multilateral gathering.

Significance of the Visit

This will mark Guterres' second visit to India in 2024 and his fifth overall since assuming office as Secretary-General. He had previously attended the India-AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February. With Guterres now in the final four months of his tenure, the BRICS summit may represent one of his last opportunities to engage — formally or informally — with key world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both of whom are skipping the UN General Assembly's annual high-level session later this month.

Who Will Be at the BRICS Summit

The summit, which opens on September 12, will bring together leaders of the ten-member BRICS bloc. Confirmed attendees include President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, and President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran. Leaders of two Gulf rivals — Iran and the United Arab Emirates — are also expected to be present, underscoring the summit's geopolitical weight.

The Backdrop: Conflict and Global Stress

The BRICS leaders are convening under considerable global strain. Two major ongoing conflicts — the Iran conflict and the Ukraine War — are casting long shadows over the proceedings, with analysts noting their far-reaching consequences for global food security and the UN's sustainable development goals. The convergence of these crises adds urgency to any multilateral dialogue that Guterres may pursue on the sidelines.

India's Role as Summit Chair

India, holding the chair for this cycle, has set the summit's theme as 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability' — a framing that closely mirrors priorities Guterres has championed throughout his decade-long tenure at the United Nations. The alignment between India's chosen theme and the Secretary-General's agenda is expected to lend added momentum to any bilateral discussions between Guterres and Modi.

As the summit opens, all eyes will be on whether the sideline diplomacy yields any concrete commitments on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.