• Shehbaz to be accompanied by DPM Dar, senior govt officials. 
• Premier will also meet Guterres, UNGA chief Yang on visit.
  
• UNGA meets annually from Sept-Dec to discuss int'l issues.
  

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to participate in the high-level segment of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York from September 23 to September 27, 2024.

He will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar and senior government officials, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing on Thursday.

In his address at the UNGA, PM Shehbaz will reaffirm Pakistan’s steadfast commitment to multilateralism and express support for the role of the United Nations in forging global peace, security, and prosperity.

He will also emphasise the importance of addressing long-standing issues on the agenda of the UN Security Council, including the question of Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir.

Moreover, he will attend several high-level meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA session, including the high-level meeting on existential threats posed by sea-level rise and the UN Security Council’s open debate on leadership for peace.

The bilateral meetings with world leaders, meetings with the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and President of the UNGA, Philemon Yang, and members of the Pakistani diaspora are also on the agenda of the prime minister’s visit.

Simultaneously, Deputy PM Dar will also participate in several high-level events and bilateral meetings with his counterparts.

Besides representing Pakistan at the Summit of the Future, convened by the UN secretary-general on September 22 to September 23, Dar will also take part in several ministerial meetings, including the OIC Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers; Meeting of OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir; Ministerial Meeting of G77 and China; and The Non-Aligned Movements Ministerial meeting.

The spokesperson said that the prime minister’s upcoming participation in the UNGA session would be an opportunity to present Pakistan’s policy perspective on important issues on the global agenda and reaffirm Pakistan’s strong commitment to the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and international peace and security.

The UNGA is the main policy making part of the UN, comprising of all member states, it provides the countries to discuss multilateral discussion of international issues. 

The Assembly meets annually from September to December and at other times when it is necessary. The assembly discusses issues specified through agenda items or sub-items, leading to the passing of resolutions.