Narendra Modi live updates: ‘I look forward to joining my colleagues,’ says PM as he embarks on Quad Summit

U.S. President Joe Biden, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi take part in a Quad leaders summit family photo in Claymont, Delaware, U.S., September 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Taking to X, PM Modi on Saturday said, “I will be on a visit to USA, where I will take part in various programmes. I will attend the Quad Summit being hosted by President Biden at his hometown Wilmington. I look forward to the deliberations at the Summit. I will also be having a bilateral meeting with President Biden. In New York, I will be attending the Summit of the Future. I will also be addressing a community programme in the city.”

Quad Summit

– The Quad, originally called the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, is a strategic alliance that includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.

– This year, President Biden hosted the leaders of these nations, holding bilateral meetings with each. This marks the first time Biden has invited a foreign leader to Wilmington, signalling his strong relationships with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

– The leaders have met six times so far, with four of those meetings held in person since Biden elevated the Quad to a leadership-level forum in 2021.

– This summit is Biden’s last Quad meeting, an alliance he prioritised and raised to a higher significance level during his first year as president.

UN’s Summit of the Future

– During his US visit, PM Modi will speak at the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23. The summit’s theme is ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.

– UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has described the event as a “once in a generation UN Summit.” The ‘Summit of the Future’ holds particular significance as the UN approaches its 80th anniversary in 2025.

– At the summit, UN Member States will adopt the Pact of the Future by consensus, which includes annexes such as the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.

– The Summit of the Future, leading into the annual UN General Assembly high-level week, is happening amid ongoing crises such as the Israel-Hezbollah conflict and the war in Ukraine, alongside persistent global issues like climate change, inequality, and geopolitical divisions.

– According to UN officials, the Pact of the Future includes “groundbreaking” language on long-overdue reforms to the Security Council, including expanding its membership to better reflect the current UN and contemporary global realities.