The Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the head of an advanced Liberian delegation, has arrived in New York, the United States of America to participate in the 71st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 71).

According to a Foreign Ministry release, Madam Marjon Kamara and her team have already begun work in collaboration with Ambassador Lewis Brown and his team at the Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who leads the Liberian delegation, arrives in the United States later today, Monday, September 19, to fully participate in the deliberations at the UNGA 71 as well as engage in high-level meetings and bilateral engagements with foreign leaders and partners on the fringes of the Assembly.

This theme of the general debate of the 71^st Session is “The Sustainable Development Goals: A universal push to transform our world. The general debate which begins on Tuesday, September 20, will last up to Monday, September 26.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon will make his final report on the work of the Organization to the General Assembly as he steps down on December 31 after serving two successive terms. Thereafter, the general debate begins with the Address by the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, His Excellency Michel Temer, followed by the President of the United States of America, His Excellency Barack Obama, among other Heads-of-State and Governments.

President Sirleaf will address the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, September 22.

Before that, on Monday, September 19, the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level plenary meeting on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants, an issue that has attracted world attention; while the Assembly will also host the UN Private Sector Forum: Business and the 2030 Agenda: Securing the Way Forward.

This forum will highlight possibilities for companies to prevent instability and build peaceful societies through creating jobs, investing in education, and supporting refugee resettlement efforts. Around 350 leaders will take part in the forum, including chief executives, heads of state and government, UN agency heads, civil society, investors and signatories to the UN Global Compact.

Another event that will take place on the margins of the general assembly on Monday, September 19, is the 1.5°C Temperature Limit – A better climate for growth, development and food security, organized by Climate Analytics to discuss the strong potential for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement to mutually reinforce each other's ambition and results. It will provide insight into how delivering on the 1.5°C limit will not only avoid severe risks and damages, especially to the most vulnerable, but will contribute to global prosperity through enhanced food security, energy independence, health and well-being, livelihoods and resilience. The event is convening during Climate Week NYC, which is taking place from 19-25 September 2016. Climate Analytics, which was founded in 2008, brings together interdisciplinary expertise in the scientific and policy aspects of climate change to synthesize and advance scientific knowledge on climate change in order to provide support and capacity building to stakeholders.  

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, September 13, the 70th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) held its closing plenary, adopting a compromise resolution to improve the transparency and accountability of the Office of the UNGA President. UNGA 71 then opened with the incoming President, Peter Thomson of Fiji, becoming the first in UN history to take an Oath of Office.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised UNGA 70 for adopting the 2030 Agenda, and highlighted the session's achievements, including: agreeing on the outcome of the High-Level Plenary Meeting on Refugees and Migrants; holding thematic debates on human rights, peace and security and the plight of children and youth affected by violent extremism; reviewing the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy; and promoting a rights-based approach to the world drug problem. He hoped that UNGA 71 will build on these achievements by “striving to resolve conflict, protect human rights and advance prosperity for all on a healthy planet.”

Opening UNGA 71, Mr. Ban stressed that the world looks to the UN to not simply react to problems but to proactively work to better the human condition.

In his opening address to the Assembly, Mr. Peter Thomson said UNGA 71 must be the time “we witness the wheels turning on the implementation of all 17 SDGs." Thomson observed that some governments have begun integrating the 2030 Agenda into national processes, but stressed that the “great majority of humankind has yet to learn of the Agenda” or embrace the SDGs. He called on Member States to provide clear guidance through the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) process, and said he will work to revitalize and align the UNGA's agenda with the 2030 Agenda. Thomson informed that his SDG implementation team will work to advance implementation, including on issues related to finance and resourcing, education, outreach and partnerships.