Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address the high-level session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September, according to a provisional list of speakers released by the UN.
The 80th UNGA session will open on September 9, with the General Debate scheduled for September 23–29.
Brazil will follow tradition as the first speaker, with U.S. President Donald Trump to deliver his first UNGA address of his second term on September 23.
As per the provisional list, India’s “Head of Government (HG)” is slated to speak on the morning of September 26.
Leaders of Israel, China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are also scheduled to address the assembly that day.
PM Modi last visited the U.S. in February for a bilateral meeting with Trump at the White House. Following the talks, the two leaders announced plans to finalise the first phase of a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall 2025. However, trade discussions have been overshadowed by Trump’s recent tariff moves — a cumulative 50% levy on India, including 25% linked to New Delhi’s purchase of Russian oil.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs called the tariff action “unjustified and unreasonable,” adding, “Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security.”
The additional 25% tariff order came just weeks before a U.S. delegation is due in India on August 25 for the sixth round of BTA negotiations, with both sides aiming to conclude the first phase of the deal by October–November.
The UNGA’s provisional list is subject to change in the coming weeks. The September session — often described as the UN’s “busiest diplomatic season” — comes against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine conflict.
Trump has claimed a series of diplomatic successes in his second term, citing peace agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Iran, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo. He has also repeatedly taken credit for ending the May conflict between India and Pakistan.