Johannesburg, Nov 22 (NationPress) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday mentioned that he had a “very productive conversation” with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.

In a post on X, PM Modi shared a photograph with the UN chief and stated, “A very productive conversation with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the G20 Johannesburg Summit.”

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar engaged with Guterres in New York to discuss the global landscape and the significance of multilateralism.

Following their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York on November 13, the EAM expressed on X that he “valued his assessment of the current global order and its implications for multilateralism.” He also appreciated Guterres' insights regarding various regional challenges.

Guterres' Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, conveyed that the Secretary General expressed his condolences to the government and citizens of India regarding the recent tragic car bomb incident near the Red Fort on November 10.

The interaction between PM Modi and the UN Secretary-General occurred after the Prime Minister's participation in the opening session of the G20 Leaders' Summit, marking his 12th attendance at G20 events.

During his address in the session titled 'Inclusive and sustainable economic growth leaving no one behind', PM Modi emphasized the concept of 'Integral Humanism', rooted in India's civilizational wisdom, aiming to harmonize progress with environmental stewardship. He noted that several significant resolutions from the New Delhi Summit have been advanced.

He acknowledged the efforts under the South African presidency in promoting skilled migration, tourism, food security, AI advancements, digital economy innovations, and women's empowerment, urging for a stronger voice for the Global South within global governance frameworks.

In line with the vision of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' for inclusive and sustainable economic progress, PM Modi proposed four initiatives during his remarks at the first session.

These proposals included establishing a 'Global Traditional Knowledge Repository' under the G20; initiating a 'G20-Africa Skills Multiplier Initiative'; forming a 'G20 Global Healthcare Response Team'; and launching a G20 initiative on 'Countering the Drug–Terror Nexus'.