PM to land in New York tonight to address 79th UNGA session

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in New York tonight on a five-day visit mainly to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), ARY News reported on Monday.

According to a PM Office press release, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar, Federal Education and Professional Training Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the PM.

Prime Minister Shehbaz will address several high-level meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA session including the “High-Level Meeting on Existential Threat posed by Sea-level Rise,” “SDG Moment 2024” , and the UN Security Council’s Open Debate on “Leadership for Peace”.

He will interact with the members of the US-Pakistan Business Council and Pakistani bankers to apprise them of his government’s pro-business and investment policies.

The meetings with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Founder Bill Gates, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva are also on his agenda.

In a scheduled meeting with Palestinian President Mehmood Abbas, the prime minister will hold consultation on the ways to persuade the international community to accelerate its efforts to end Israel’s oppression in Palestine.

PM Shehbaz will also attend a luncheon reception by Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah on completion of 40 years of his country’s UN membership, and also a dinner reception by Chief Advisor of Bangladesh Dr Muhammad Yunus to mark 50 years of his country’s UN membership.

During his US visit, the prime minister will highlight before the world leaders the impacts of climate change on the countries, Pakistan’s sacrifices in its fight against terrorism, challenges faced by the debt-burdened countries, Indian illegal occupation of Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and ongoing genocide of innocent Palestinian people by Israeli occupation forces.