Maria Fernanada Espinosa, President, United Nations General Assembly described India as a “very important player” of the multilateral system and said that India’s success in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can change the face of the world.
She said to PTI in an interview, “India is indeed a very important player of the multilateral system. It is a friendly country to the United Nations. If India succeeds in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda — we are talking about 1.3 billion people — this really can change the face of the world.”
Maria is looking forward to work together with India under her presidency of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly.
Maria had visited India before she took charge as a UNGA president and had meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She said that while recalling her visit, she was happy to see the implementation of SDGs on the ground level in the country.
She mentioned about the problems of sanitation and urbanization while addressing the challenges faced by the country. “If you have the political will if you have proper planning, and if you are committed then the challenge becomes an opportunity” she further added.