PM Shehbaz to address UN General Assembly on September 26, provisional schedule reveals

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) annual General Debate on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers released by the UN on Tuesday.

The high-level debate of the 193-member Assembly's 79th session will take place from September 24 to 30. This will mark PM Shehbaz's second speech to the General Assembly, the UN’s main policy-making body; he last addressed it in 2022.

So far, more than 130 world leaders have confirmed their participation in the debate, according to Monica Greylay, the spokesperson for the UNGA. These leaders will focus on addressing issues of international peace and security.

The provisional list of speakers issued by the UN is subject to change, as the organisation regularly updates it in the weeks leading up to the session to accommodate any adjustments in attendance, schedules, and speaking slots for leaders, ministers, and ambassadors.

The Assembly’s 79th session, which officially opens on September 10, will convene amid escalating global tensions, with several active conflicts, including those in Palestine, Ukraine, and Sudan. 

However, the Assembly's extensive agenda also seeks to pave the way for establishing a new global development framework that both protects the planet and promotes equity, justice, and prosperity for all people.

As per tradition, Brazil will open the debate on September 24, followed by the United States, with President Joe Biden delivering what will be his final address as President to global leaders from the iconic UNGA hall.

Ahead of the session, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will present his report on the Work of the Organisation, covering the events of the preceding year. 

Guterres is also convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the high-level week, scheduled for September 22-23. 

This summit is expected to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes. 

The UN described the summit as a high-level event aimed at forging a new international consensus on delivering a better present and safeguarding the future.

"Effective global cooperation is increasingly critical to our survival but difficult to achieve in an atmosphere of mistrust, using outdated structures that no longer reflect today’s political and economic realities," according to the UN.

Other key meetings scheduled during the week include a high-level plenary meeting on addressing the existential threats posed by sea level rise on September 25; a high-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on September 26; and a high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance on the same day.