S Jaishankar Meets UN Secretary General, Discusses Vaccine Solutions

S Jaishankar's meeting with Mr Guterres comes at a time when the country is reeling under an unprecedented second wave of COVID-19

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday held a comprehensive in-person meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and discussed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and underlined the importance of finding urgent and effective global vaccine solutions. In his first face-to-face interaction with the UN chief since India entered the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member in January this year, Mr Jaishankar also deliberated on regional challenges in India's neighbourhood and said that the countering terrorism and radicalisation remain priorities for the entire region. "A warm and comprehensive meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Discussed the Covid challenge, underlining the importance of finding urgent and effective global vaccine solutions. Critical to ramp up the vaccine supply chain to ensure greater production and fairer distribution," S Jaishankar tweeted after the meeting that lasted almost an hour. S Jaishankar's meeting with Mr Guterres comes at a time when the country is reeling under an unprecedented second wave of COVID-19 and a widening gap between the supply of vaccines and requirements.