UN Secretary General Guterres Calls On President Murmu

(MENAFN- IANS) New Delhi, Feb 20 (IANS) United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.

According to the President's Secretariat, the UN Secretary General appreciated India's leadership role in convening the successful AI Impact Summit, and its longstanding collaboration with the United Nations in various fields.

President Murmu welcomed the initiative of Secretary General Guterres to create a global scientific panel on AI to serve all of humanity.

"The President noted that at a time of global uncertainties, multilateralism is facing major challenges, including a widening trust deficit. She added that the existing outdated framework of the UN Security Council must be reformed to reflect contemporary geo-political realities, and the Global South must have a greater say in decision-making. She emphasized that urgent reform of the UN Security Council is the key to maintaining the relevance and effectiveness of the UN," read a statement issued by the President's Secretariat.

"The President noted that while the 'UN-80' initiative offers a good platform for reforms, it is important that developmental priorities of the Global South are protected in any restructuring exercise. The President extended her good wishes for the rest of Mr Guterres' tenure as UN Secretary General, and reiterated India's full support towards multilateralism," it added.

Earlier in the day, Guterres met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during which both leaders talked about making Artificial Intelligence (AI) all inclusive and how the UN can play a constructive role in this regard.

"Reiterated India's support towards any effort aimed at harnessing AI for a better planet. We also exchanged perspectives on UN reforms, especially giving greater voice to the Global South," PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.

In his address at the landmark event, Guterres on Friday cited AI fragmentation risks, calling for global interoperability standards for better outcomes at the 'India AI Impact Summit 2026'.

“Technological rivalry is growing. Without a common baseline, fragmentation wins, with different regions and different countries operating under incompatible policies and technical standards,” he warned.

Addressing the Summit, he said that when we agree on how to test systems and measure risk, we create interoperability.

“So a startup in New Delhi can scale globally with confidence because the benchmarks are shared and safety can travel with technology,” he noted.

Guterres also called for science-led AI guardrails to protect people and accelerate innovation.

“Once we understand what AI systems can do and what they cannot, we can move from rough measures to smarter, risk-based guardrails. Guardrails that protect people, uphold human rights, and preserve human agency,” he told the gathering.

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