UNGA president-elect arrives today

ISLAMABAD: The President-elect of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir will be visiting Pakistan from 9-10 August, 2020, on the invitation of the government of Pakistan.

He will be leading a historic and unprecedented General Assembly Session as the UN commemorates 75th anniversary of its establishment this year. The general debate of the General Assembly, traditionally the most high-profile UN event of the year, says an announcement from the UN will be a slimmed-down affair this September, with world leaders staying away from New York, and contributing set-piece speeches via video link, a UN spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.

Each member state, observer state, and the European Union, has been invited to submit a pre-recorded video, delivered by its designated high-level official, which will be played in the General Assembly Hall. “The Hall will not be empty as the videos will be introduced by a representative of each state, who will be physically present”, said the spokesman at the UN.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs while announcing the visit says that while Bozkir will be meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the visit itself is an important one to inter alia highlight Pakistan’s strong and substantive contributions to the United Nations efforts in the promotion and maintenance of international peace and security, especially through our contribution to the UN Peacekeeping Operations around the world.

”Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will have wide-ranging talks with President-elect Volkan Bozkir on issues relating to the three main pillars of the United Nations’ work, i.e. peace and security, development, and human rights”, says the Foreign Office.

Volkan Bozkir is the first-ever Turkish national to be elected to the Office of the President of the United National General Assembly.

Pakistan says it remains committed to supporting the role of the United Nations General Assembly on the questions relating to international peace and security; economic and social development; promotion and protection of human rights; peaceful settlement of international disputes; refraining from the threat of use of force; and developing friendly relations among nations based on the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, as enshrined in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.