APM to address Unga on Sept 26

President Peter Mutharika, who arrived in New York, United States of America (USA) on Thursday to attend this year’s 74th United Nations General Assembly (Unga) is expected to deliver his statement to the General Assembly on September 26 2019.

According to information available on https://www.un.org, this year’s Unga runs from September 17 to September 30, with the opening ceremony on September 24.

The programme indicates that Mutharika will be the eighth president to address the assembly on that day, after the President of the Federative States of Micronesia and before the President of Brunei Darussalam.

Mutharika—who is accompanied by the First Lady Gertrude Mutharika, some Cabinet ministers and high-ranking government officials—was welcomed at the JFK International Airport by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Francis Kasaila, Malawi’s ambassador to the United Nations Perks Ligoya and defence adviser Brigadier General George Jaffu.

The assembly’s programme indicates that other high-level events include Climate Action Summit and Universal Health Coverage on September 23; UN High level Political Forum on Sustainable Development on September 24 and 25, and on September 26, a high-level dialogue on financing for development and high-level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons; and another high level meeting on September 27 to review progress made in addressing the priorities of small island developing States (Sids) through the implementation of the Sids Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway.

Kasaila justified Malawi’s annual attendance at the Unga, saying the country is part of the global community, which has to share global experiences.

“All member countries attend Unga without exception and, therefore, Malawi has to attend, too. The assembly gives us an opportunity to raise our issues and commitments to the globe and the kind of support we are looking for from the entire world,” he said.

During last year’s Unga, Mutharika gave what several leaders described as the best speech in which he spoke against hypocrisy in the United Nations. His speech centred on the lack of two permanent African countries on the UN Security Council.