UN General Assembly. The Nordic countries are participating in the UN General Assembly with a strong representation. Finland is the first of the Nordic Countries to speak in the annual General Debate of World leaders.
The General Debate starts at 3 pm (CET) 19 September with the address of Lula da Silva President of Brazil followed by the host country, the USA, represented by President Joe Biden.
The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, is the only head of state representing the Nordic Countries. He is scheduled to speak as the 12th speaker in the session that starts 3 pm (CET).
Heads of government come after heads of state in the protocol, so Jonas Gahr Støre Prime Minister of Norway has to wait until Thursday 21 September for his turn to speak. He is scheduled as the 18th speaker in the afternoon session, which starts 3 pm (CET).
On Friday it is the turn of Ulf Kristersson the Prime Minister of Sweden as the 2nd speaker in the session that starts at 3 pm (CET).
Thórdís Kobrún Gylfadóttir Reykfjörð, Foreign Minister of Iceland is on the agenda Saturday 23 September in the 3 pm session. Finally, the Danish Foreign Minister is the 2nd speaker in the last session of general debate at 3 pm Tuesday 26 September.
Guterres meets Nordics
The UN Secretary-General has met with several Nordic leaders bilaterally.
In his meeting with Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark he congratulated Denmark for its leadership in climate action and strong commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister discussed initiatives to create an international alliance to support the green transformation in sub-Saharan Africa as well as efforts to reform the international financial architecture and build public-private partnerships.
The Secretary-General also met with Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland. The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister exchanged views on opportunities to reinvigorate multilateralism and advance the Sustainable Development Goals. The Prime Minister highlighted Iceland’s efforts in promoting a well-being economy.
Finally, the Secretary-General met with Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden. The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister discussed the war in Ukraine and its regional and global impact. They also exchanged views on elements of the Sustainable Development Goals stimulus proposal and the need for reform of the International Financial Architecture.
Follow the General Debate here.
