UN Summit: President Buhari leaves for New York

President Muhammadu Buhari left Abuja this weekend to participate in the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) holding from September 19 to 23, 2016 in New York, the United States.

The President will deliver Nigeria’s statement at the opening of the General Debate of the Assembly, on the theme: The Sustainable Development Goals: a Universal Push to Transform our World.”

According to an Aso Rock press statement, Buhari will also attend a high-level summit, hosted by the UN, on ‘Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants’.

The summit, which is the first of its kind organised by the General Assembly at the Heads of State and Government level, is expected to come up with a blueprint for a better international re­sponse to enhance protec­tion of migrants and refu­gees.

The statement which was issued yesterday by presidential spokesman, Femi Ades­ina, disclosed that while in New York, Buhari will attend series of meetings as well as side events, which are of significant interest to Nigeria.

He will deliver a keynote address on ‘Taking Climate Action Towards Sustainable Development in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin’, to be attended by leaders of mem­ber countries of the Lake Chad Basin.

The event is organised by the Nigerian government to highlight the urgent need to mobilise international re­sponse to the distressing sit­uation in the Lake Chad Ba­sin, where over nine million people need humanitarian assistance.

The President will equally participate in an event host­ed by the UN Secretary-Gen­eral, Ban Ki-Moon on ‘End­ing Need in the Lake Chad’.

Buhari will also sign the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and participate in activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of the Right to Development.

He will attend the Clin­ton Global Initiative as well as the United Nations Pri­vate Sector Forum on Busi­ness and Global Goals or­ganised by the UN Secretary General.

Also concerning the econ­omy, the President will lead discussions at the United States-Africa Business Fo­rum devoted to investing in Nigeria.

Before returning home, he will hold bilateral meetings with some world lead­ers in furtherance of the ad­ministration’s commitment to ameliorating the plight of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Nigeria.

The discussions will equally focus on the Presi­dent’s longstanding commit­ment to returning peace and security in the North-East­ern part of Nigeria, restoring calm to the Niger Delta and attracting more investments to develop critical infrastruc­ture towards revamping the Nigerian economy.