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President Professor Peter Mutharika arrived in New York in the United States of America on Thursday to attend this year’s 74th United Nations General Assembly.
The president, who was accompanied by the First Lady, Professor Gertrude Mutharika, was welcomed at the JFK International Airport by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Francis Kasaila, Malawi’s ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Perks Ligoya and Defense advisor, Brigadier General George Jaffu.
From the airport, the Mutharikas were driven to their hotel where they were also welcomed by Ministers of Health and Population, Jappie Mhango, Education Science and Technology, Dr. William Susuwele Banda, Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Mary Thom Navicha, Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Bintony Kutsaira and Malawi’s ambassador to Washington, Edward Sawerengera and Malawi delegation to the UN.
Mutharika is expected to deliver his statement to the General Assembly on September 26, 2019 and will be the eighth president to address the Assembly on the day after the President of the Federative States of Micronesia and before the President of Brunei Darussalam.
According to https://www.un.org, this year’s UNGA runs from September 17 to September 30 with the opening ceremony of the 74th Session of the UNGA on Tuesday, September 24.
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.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Francis 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,” said Kasaila.
During last year’s UNGA, Mutharka 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.
