President to attend UNGA virtually

President Sauli Niinistö will participate in the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and deliver Finland’s national statement on 23 September, said the Office of the President in a press release on Thursday.

The theme of the General Debate will be commitment to multilateralism and confronting COVID-19 through effective multilateral action.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s high-level week of the General Assembly will mainly take place virtually.

In addition to the national statement delivered to the General Assembly, Niinistö will speak at several main events over a period of two weeks. The 75th anniversary of the UN will also be celebrated during the high-profile week.

Before the beginning of the week, Niinistö will address the SDG Moment convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on 18th September, Friday. This event focuses on monitoring the implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On 21 September, Monday, he will deliver a speech on the UN’s role in a multilateral world at the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations.

On 1 October, Thursday, the president will address the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The objective of this meeting is promoting the rights of women and girls.

Niinistö will serve as chair of the delegation of Finland at the UN General Assembly. The delegation will also consist of Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Minister Ville Skinnari.