President to address UNGA on Sep 20

President Sauli Niinistö and First Lady Jenni Haukio will travel to New York from September 18 to 21, where the President will lead the Finnish delegation during the High-level Week of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, said the President Office in a press release on Wednesday.

Niinistö will give Finland’s National Statement at the Assembly’s General Debate on Wednesday 20 September.

Along with the General Debate, the President’s programme for the High-level Week will include an address at the SDG Summit hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday 18 September and several bilateral meetings.

The theme of this year’s UN General Assembly is “Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all”.

The Finnish delegation led by the President will also consist of Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio.

In addition to the presidential couple’s joint programme, Jenni Haukio will take part in a discussion on Nordic literature with First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid and author Neil Gaiman on September 20.

The event is organised by the New York Public Library together with the Consulates General of Finland and Iceland in New York.