President to address UNGA on Sep 24

President Sauli Niinistö will travel to New York to attend the opening week of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) slated for 22-25 September.

The president will deliver Finland’s National Statement at the Opening of the General Debate of the UN General Assembly on September 24, said an official press release.

On September 23, Niinistö will speak at the Climate Action Summit, hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The summit aims to boost ambition and accelerate actions to implement the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

In addition to delivering Finland’s National Statement, Niinistö will attend on September 24 the UN secretary general’s state luncheon, and a reception hosted by United States President Donald Trump.

On September 25, President Niinistö will attend the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and will chair a discussion on its measures. The forum, which meets annually, assesses the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

During the opening week, Niinistö’s programme will also include several bilateral meetings, for example with the UN secretary-general, the executive director of UN Women and the presidents of Georgia, Poland and Kazakhstan.

The president will serve as the Chair of the Delegation of Finland at the UN General Assembly. The delegation will also consist of Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Family Affairs and Social Services Krista Kiuru, Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Ville Skinnari, and Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Krista Mikkonen.