KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Oli will address the General Debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) virtually on September 25 this year.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said PM Oli will lead a Nepali delegation to the 75th session of the UNGA being held in New York.

The annual session of the UNGA is taking place virtually this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic – first time that the UNGA is taking place virtually since its establishment in 1945.

All world leaders will also address the UNGA session virtually this year.

This year’s theme has been “The Future We Want, the United Nations We Need: Reaffirming Our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism – Confronting COVID-19 through Effective Multilateral Action”.

MOFA said that a high-level week of the UNGA will begin on September 17.

Likewise, Prime Minister Oli is also addressing the high-level meeting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN on 21 September this year.

PM Oli will also address the 2020 SDG Moment on 18 September 2020; and the Biodiversity Summit on 30 September 2020.

Likewise, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pradeep Gyawali is addressing the high-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on October 2 virtually.

Minister Gyawali will also address the Ministerial Meetings of LDCs and LLDCs, among others, MoFA said.

Meanwhile, Nepal will host the virtual meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers traditionally held coinciding with the UNGA on September 24, MoFA stated.

India and Pakistan have confirmed their participation to the meeting.

Likewise, Nepal, as the current chair of SAARC, will urge all SAARC member states to take forward the stalled SAARC process.

The summit has not been held since 2016 mainly due to animosity between India and Pakistan.

Likewise, Nepal’s Ambassador to the US, Arjun Kumar Karki, Permanent Representative of Nepal to the UN in New York, Amrit Bahadur Rai and other officials at the Permanent Mission of Nepal will participate at the UNGA virtually/physically as appropriate, MoFA said.