78th UNGA: Tinubu Jets Out To New York On Sunday

President Bola Tinubu will on Sunday leave Abuja for New York to attend the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA) holding from September 19 to 23. Ajuri Ngelale, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed this via a statement on Saturday in Abuja. The trip will be Tinubu’s first UNGA outing. Ngelale said that the theme of the UNGA 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.” Ngelale said that the President would on the first day of the High-Level General Debate of the 78th UNGA Session, deliver his inaugural National Statement. Before engaging in the General Debate, the President will join other world leaders to participate in the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (UN 2023 Summit on SDGs). Tinubu’s address will encompass several issues, such as sustainable development, climate change, global cooperation, and the imperative to address inequalities and global humanitarian crises. He is slated to participate in the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development; High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response. He will also participate in the UN Secretary General’s Climate Ambition Summit; High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage; High-Level Panel on Reform of the Global Financial Architecture, among others. In New York, Tinubu is also scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with world leaders, including the Presidents of the European Union Commission, Brazil, and South Africa, among others. The President will also advance his economic development agenda for aggressive investment attraction in meetings with the global leadership of transnational firms, such as Microsoft, Meta Technologies, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, and others. On the margins of the UNGA, the President will detail emerging cross-sectoral investment opportunities in Nigeria in his address to American business leaders at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. At the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) Headquarters in New York, Tinubu will conduct its closing ceremony during its trading session. This will make the Nigerian leader the first African President to do this. The President will also address the Nigerian SMEs Business Summit, where he will seek to highlight the increasingly important role of Nigerian enterprises in global trade. Tinubu will be accompanied by governors, ministers, and other top government functionaries connected with the various programmes of the UNGA agenda for the 78th Summit. 

India Hands Over G20 Presidency To Brazil

India formally handed over the G20 presidency to Brazil at the closing ceremony of the annual summit of the grouping, that was held in New Delhi this weekend. India Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed the transition by handing over the ceremonial gavel of the presidency to Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. India has had the presidency of the G20 since Dec. 1, when it took over from Indonesia, and will continue to hold the position until Nov. 30. During the two-day summit, the bloc adopted a consensus declaration that made commitments on several issues, including food and energy security, climate change, and global debt vulnerabilities. Modi, on Sunday, also proposed a “virtual summit” of the grouping at the end of November to assess the status of the suggestions and proposals put forth by members and determine “how their progress can be accelerated”. “In that session, we can review the topics decided during this summit,” Modi said, adding that details would be shared with members.