PM Modi To Visit Italy, UK For G20 Summit, COP26 From October 29

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to Rome, Italy and Glasgow, the United Kingdom from October 29 to November 2 to attend the 16th G-20 Summit and the World Leaders' Summit of COP-26 respectively, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday.

An MEA release stated that Prime Minister will be participating in the 16th G-20 Summit in Rome from October 30-31, 2021 at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi. The Summit will also be attended by Heads of State/Government of G-20 Member Countries, the European Union, and other invited countries and international organizations.

This will be the 8th G-20 Summit that the Prime Minister would be attending. The G-20 has emerged as the premier global forum for international economic cooperation. India is scheduled to host the G-20 Summit in 2023 for the first time.

The forthcoming Summit under the Italian Presidency is centred around the theme "People, Planet, Prosperity", focussing on the areas of Recovery from the Pandemic and Strengthening of Global Health Governance, Economic Recovery and Resilience, Climate Change and Energy Transition, and Sustainable Development and Food Security.

Prime Minister will also hold several bilateral meetings, including with the Prime Minister of Italy.

Prime Minister will, thereafter, travel to Glasgow to attend the World Leader's Summit of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson. COP-26 is being held from 31 October 2021 to 12 November 2021 under the Presidency of the UK partnering with Italy.

The high-level segment of COP-26, titled the World Leaders' Summit (WLS), will be held on November 1-2. The Summit will be attended by Heads of State/Government of more than 120 countries. COP-26 was originally slated to be held in 2020, but was deferred to 2021 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UNFCCC embodies the global will and vision to combat climate change. The periodic Conference of Parties to this Convention have emerged as global climate summits, providing an opportunity for stocktaking and for charting the way forward.

Prime Minister last attended the COP-21 in Paris in 2015, when the Paris Agreement was concluded, and whose implementation commences this year. At COP-26, the Parties will work to achieve the completion of Paris Agreement implementation guidelines; the mobilization of climate finance; actions to strengthen climate adaptation, technology development and transfer; and keeping in reach the Paris Agreement goals of limiting the rise in global temperatures.

Prime Minister will hold numerous bilateral meetings on the sidelines of COP-26, including with the Prime Minister of the UK, Boris Johnson.