Jaishankar meets UN chief Guterres, discusses ongoing conflicts, impact on Global South countries

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Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar addresses an event at Asia Society, in New York, U.S. | Photo Credit: -

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has met UN chief Antonio Guterres, and both the leaders discussed ongoing conflicts, including the situation in West Asia, and their impact on Global South countries.

Mr. Jaishankar met Secretary-General Mr. Guterres at the UN headquarters on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) as he wrapped up his engagements at the high-level UN General Assembly week.

"Glad to meet @UN Secretary General @antonioguterres today. Our discussions focused on ongoing conflicts and the need to mitigate their impact, especially on the Global South,” Mr. Jaishankar said in a post on X.

A readout of the meeting issued by the office of the Secretary-General said Mr. Guterres and Mr. Jaishankar discussed “multilateralism, India-UN cooperation, and geopolitical developments, including the war in Ukraine and the situation in the West Asia”.

The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for India’s cooperation with the UN, it said.

Delivering India’s national statement at the General Debate on Saturday (September 26, 2026), Mr. Jaishankar had voiced appreciation for Mr. Guterres’s service as head of the world organisation as his tenure as the world’s top diplomat comes to an end in December.

“After a decade of service and dedication to the cause of multilateralism, we will soon bid farewell to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. India deeply values his many contributions, in particular, his personal support for Mission LiFE,” he had said.

This was the final high-level UNGA week for Mr. Guterres, whose second five-year tenure as head of the United Nations ends in December 2026.

He had visited India for the BRICS Leaders’ Summit earlier this month.

During a conversation at Asia Society, Mr. Jaishankar said he held meetings with about 85-90 counterparts through a “really very frantic week”.

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