PM Shehbaz to arrive in US tonight to attend UNGA session

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in the United States later on Monday to represent Pakistan at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, APP reported.

The prime minister, who is currently in London to attend the final rites of Queen Elizabeth-II, will land in New York, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with a number of global leaders.

The premier will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, and senior officials.

On September 20, the premier would attend a reception to be hosted by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

On the same day, he would also meet French President Emmanuel Macron, the Austrian chancellor, and the Spanish president.

A meeting with the President of the European Union Council Charles Michel and participation in the Global Food Security Summit to be hosted by the president of Senegal and the African Union is also on the agenda of the prime minister’s visit.

On September 21, he would meet Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva and President of World Bank David Malpass, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

Besides meeting with the UNGA president, the prime minister would also attend a dinner reception to be hosted by US President Joe Biden.

PM Sharif will also host a luncheon reception in honor of the Turkish president and his spouse, besides meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö.

Meetings with Microsoft founder Bill Gates and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Chinese President Premier Li Keqiang, and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida are also part of the prime minister’s engagements.

He would also meet Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel and Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the same day.

On September 23, the prime minister would address the UNGA session and will also interact with prominent American media outlets.

According to the Foreign Office, PM Shehbaz's speech will focus on the challenge faced by Pakistan in wake of the recent climate-induced catastrophic floods in the country.

"The Prime Minister will outline concrete proposals for collectively tackling the existential threat posed by climate change. He will also share Pakistan’s position and perspective on regional and global issues of concern including Jammu and Kashmir, which is one of the long-standing unresolved disputes on the UN agenda," the statement said.