India to host US-India Global Issues Forum

WASHINGTON: US Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky will lead the US delegation to the sixth US-India Global Issues Forum in New Delhi on April 24.

The US delegation will also include Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment, and Science Claudia McMurray and Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour David J. Kramer, the State Department announced Monday.

Started in October 2002, the forum develops new and expanded areas for cooperation between the two countries on multilateral issues such as the promotion of democracy, health, environmental protection, and human rights.

Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon led the Indian delegation to the forum meeting in Washington last year. The two sides examined new and expanded areas for US-Indian cooperation, including issues related to the promotion of democratic values and human rights, protection of the vulnerable, and environmental conservation and sustainable development.

They also discussed continued and new cooperation on protecting the global environment, and underscored the importance of ongoing collaboration in science and technology and public health.