His Excellency the State President, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, accompanied by the First Lady have safely landed in New York, United States of America for the 77th edition of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The session of the UNGA commenced on Wednesday at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City.
However, high level deliberative session among the 192 world leaders in attendance, including President Chakwera, start September 20, 2022.
The President left Kenya on Tuesday immediately after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s newly-elected President Willian Samoei Ruto.
This will be his first UNGA session to attend in person since his ascendancy to the country’s presidency as the Assembly has this year resumed after a Covid-19 pandemic-induced break.
The President gave his maiden address to the UNGA which he attended online last year.
“I would say this trip and the UNGA in general is timely for my government and the people of Malawi in light of the prevailing social and economic challenges, many of which have their answers in our engagement with the global community,” Chakwera told the press as he left for the Assembly.
The trip is also considered as a working sojourn where heads of state and government engage world leaders and various heads of international institutions from across all sectors of development.
According to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nancy Tembo, at least 40 high level meetings geared towards mobilising over a billion dollars in resources have been lined up in the President’s schedule of activities in New York; a development President Chakwera hinted in an interview earlier.
The President said: “Our underlying goal is to bring from New York tangible outcomes in terms of multilateral and bilateral support from development partners in our quest to improve livelihoods of Malawians.”
Themed ‘A Watershed Moment: Transformative Solutions to Interlocking Challenges’, Malawi is said to be eyeing to utilise the Assembly in seeking workable solutions to some of the world’s most vexing issues from poverty, development and climate change to peace and security.
President Chakwera is expected to address the General Assembly next week Thursday, 22 September 2022.
Aside from the assembly which is the main deliberative organ, the President is scheduled to also hold bilateral and multilateral engagements with other world leaders and heads of international institutions.
Such discussions are aimed at promoting Malawi as a competitive investment destination in Africa and use the opportunity to consolidate various bilateral ties the country has.
President Chakwera returns from the trip early October.