The Prime Minister (PM) of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Hon’ble Ralph Everard Gonsalves visited India on September 8-12, 2019. He became the first ever Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to make an official visit India.
High-level UNCCD Symposium in New Delhi
The PM of St Vincent and Grenadines, Dr Ralph Everard Gonsalves and Prime Minister of India Mr Narendra Modi participated in the high-level United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD) Symposium held in New Delhi. They agreed to improve the cooperation between the two countries in various fields including in the areas of skill development, education, culture and disaster management.
Bilateral Meetings
Meeting with Indian PM Narendra Modi
Dr Ralph Everard Gonsalves met Indian PM Modi in New Delhi and held bilateral discussions.
i. Dr Gonsalves noted the enormous goodwill for India in St Vincent and the Grenadines and also in the Carribean and Latin American region.
ii. He appreciated India’s development cooperation with the region and India’s assistance subsequent to natural calamities.
iii. PM Modi congratulated St Vincent and the Grenadines for becoming the smallest country ever to be elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
Meeting with EAM Dr S Jaishankar
i. Dr Ralph Everard Gonsalves met External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar and held bilateral discussions.
ii. St. Vincent and the Grenadines became the 79thmember of International Solar Alliance (ISA).
iii. Countries which have signed the agreement until now include Bolivia, Palau, France, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Japan, amongst others. The agreement was opened for signature during the Conference of the Parties (COP) 22 at Marrakech, Morocco on November 15, 2016.
About ISA:
♦ Founded at: Paris, France
♦ Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana
♦ Director General: Mr. Upendra Tripathy
About St. Vincent and the Grenadines:
♦ Capital: Kingstown
♦ Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)
About COP 14 of UNCCD 2019:
The 14th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held at the India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, India from 2-13 September 2019 under the theme “Investing in Land, Unlocking Opportunities”. It was presided by Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, India, and Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, UNCCD.