UNITED NATIONS: Interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar plans to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), which opens on September 5, Dawn has learnt.

If the trip materialises, Mr Kakar will apparently be the first interim prime minister to represent Pakistan at the UN General Assembly.

A UN press statement marked Sept 19 as the first day of the high-level general debate that is addressed by world leaders.

Pakistani diplomats at the UN told reporters that they have booked a slot for Pakistan in the high-level debate and “are awaiting further instructions from Islamabad”.

Earlier this week, the UN General Assembly adopted a Panamanian resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistan, proclaiming January 26 as the International Day of Clean Energy.

The text, which was adopted without a vote, underlined the 193-member Assembly’s commitment to protecting the environment. January 26 will become a platform to promote awareness on the sustainable use of energy resources and to strengthen collaboration among nations to promote the global energy transition.

In a letter to member states, UNGA 78 President-elect Dennis Francis said that the theme of the General Assembly’s 78th session will be ‘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’.

The UN General Assembly is the main policy-making organ of the organisation.

Comprising all member states, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations.

Each of the 193 member states of the United Nations has an equal vote.

The UNGA also makes key decisions for the UN, including: appointing the Secretary General on the recommendation of the Security Council, electing the non-permanent members of the Security Council, and approving the UN budget.

The assembly meets in regular sessions from September to December each year. It discusses specific issues through dedicated agenda items or sub-items, which lead to the adoption of resolutions.

The UN Foundation, which works closely with the UN, pointed out that the 78th UNGA was being held at a time of unprecedented setbacks on global progress.

“The earth is getting hotter, faster. Poverty and food insecurity are worsening, amid war and inflation. Humanitarian needs are escalating in scale and cost. Inequality is deepening,” it noted.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2023