Haoliang Xu, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator was on a four-day mission to India from June 11- 14. He attended the G20 Development Ministers Meeting in Varanasi and met key government dignitaries and development partners. He also visited UNDP project sites to witness how UNDP is supporting India's development story and improving the lives of millions.
At the G20 Development Ministers' Meeting in Varanasi, Xu met India's Minister of External Affairs and reaffirmed UNDP's commitment to support efforts to accelerate India's achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
At the meeting, he strongly advocated the UN Secretary-General's SDG Stimulus Plan to turbocharge the #SDGs and transform the multilateral system so that it delivers for all countries.
Here's the full statement.
In a tweet, Xu said - "At #G20India 🇮🇳 Development Ministers Meeting in #Varanasi, I reaffirmed @UNDP's commitment to work closely w/ #India to implement the 'Principles on Lifestyle for Sustainable Development' at national & global levels thru #ClimatePromise & @NBSAPForum."
Xu met with H.E. Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, Secretary of Economic and Financial Affairs and Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, Ministry for Planning and Evaluation of the Republic of South Africa, during his visit to Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
The Associate Administrator also visited a hospital in the city to witness the Government of India's eVIN application, which digitizes information on vaccine stocks and temperatures across the country. He also witnessed Co-WIN in action, the backbone of India's covid vaccination programme.
After his arrival in the national capital, Xu met with the G20 Sherpa - Amitabh Kant, representatives from the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the National Disaster Management Authority and the International Solar Alliance.
During his field visit to a Plastic Waste Management Facility in New Delhi, the Associate Administrator witnessed how UNDP is supporting an inclusive circular economy initiative that focuses on end-to-end plastic waste management while improving the lives of our waste pickers or safai saathis.
He concluded his India mission with a visit to the UNDP India office. He interacted with the colleagues and appreciated their hard work, energy & enthusiasm towards the global goals.
Credits:
UNDP India/ Srishti Bhardwaj