President Solih to depart to New York on Saturday, to attend 76th UNGA session

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is scheduled to depart to New York, United States, to attend the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), on Saturday.

During the trip, the president is scheduled to participate in several bilateral and multilateral sessions, alongside addressing the UNGA session once again.

The president will be delivering an address at the 76th session of the UNGA, to take place in New York on 21 September 2021. The president will deliver his statement on the first day of the session and he is third in line. However, it is likely that the agenda might be amended. The session will take place from 6pm – 11:45pm. According to some media outlets, President Solih will address the UNGA after the United States President Joe Biden.

Maldives marks a turning point in history during the 76th UNGA session, after the election of Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid as the president of the session.

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid won the election for the UNGA presidency in June, with an overwhelming majority. Shahid, who ran against Afghanistan’s Zalmai Rassoul, got 143 votes from the body.

This mirrors that leaders of the globe have accepted Maldives as a significant player in the international arena.

The country has been vocally advocating for several global causes, most importantly as a climate champion fighting for the priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), especially since the commencement of Solih’s administration.

The president, joined by First Lady Fazna Ahmed and a high-level delegation of government officials, will conclude his trip and return to Maldives on September 28.

President Solih addressed the 74th United Nations General Assembly in New York, during September 2019 for the first time. It was not only Solih’s first visit to the UNGA, but it was also the first time a Maldivian head of state was present in over seven years.