PM to lead Pakistan delegation at UNGA

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will lead Pakistan's delegation to the high-level session of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York from September 21 to 25, where he will present Pakistan's position on regional and global security and highlight the country's priorities on major international issues. The high-level segment of the 81st UN General Assembly will be held from September 22 to 26 and on September 28, with this year's general debate theme set by the newly elected president as 'Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all'. Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmad gave journalists a background briefing in New York on Pakistan's participation in the General Assembly session. He said PM Shehbaz would address the General Assembly on September 25 and present Islamabad's position on the regional and global security situation. He would emphasise the need for peaceful resolution of conflicts, dialogue, diplomacy and restraint, he added. According to the permanent representative, the prime minister's address would also highlight Pakistan's priorities on sustainable development, climate change, counterterrorism, Islamophobia, global economic challenges, reform of the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals, among other key international issues. Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said Pakistan would also draw the international community's attention to issues involving prolonged occupation and the right to self-determination, including Palestine and occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and would call for their resolution in accordance with relevant UN resolutions. During the General Assembly session, PM Shehbaz will hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and the UN secretary-general.