NEW YORK : Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will make his maiden appearance at the 78th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly here this week.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is an annual meeting of the United Nations consisting of 193 countries and two observer countries.
Malaysia became the 82nd country to join the assembly on Sept 17, 1957, shortly after Independence day on Aug 31 of the same year.
The UNGA is usually attended by the heads of government, heads of state or representatives to discuss various issues and matters of universal interest. They will also deliver the statements of their respective countries.
More than 157 heads of government and heads of state are scheduled to attend and more than 30 ministers are expected to deliver their National Statements at the United Nations headquarters during the General Debate session which will start on Sept 19.
All Malaysian Prime Ministers have previously attended the largest gathering of UN member state leaders. However, there were several times when the Deputy Prime Minister attended in the Prime Minister's place.
This year's theme for the General Debate is 'Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all'.
This theme focuses on regaining momentum and accelerating action towards sustainable development.
Anwar will be here from Sept 20 - 23 and is scheduled to take the stage to deliver the statement at 10am on Friday, or 10pm Malaysian time.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir in a press conference with Malaysian journalists said in line with the theme, the Prime Minister will share Malaysia's efforts in dealing with the climate crisis and action towards achieving the 2030 Agenda.
Anwar will also provide views on various global issues and the role that the international community needs to play in overcoming various common challenges.
"Many leaders of other countries who were met previously stated they were looking forward to the Prime Minister's speech at this conference because of his experience and leadership," he said.
Among the other leaders scheduled to attend are the United States President Joe Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who are also scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss the issue of Russian aggression.
However, other key leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not be present at the assembly.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will also be absent from the assembly.