Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will address the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Sep 23 with his speech focusing on climate-induced catastrophic floods in the country, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Sunday.

According to the FO, PM Shehbaz will participate in the UNGA high-level debate in New York from September 19-23.

The premier’s speech at the UNGA will focus on challenges faced by Pakistan in wake of the recent climate-induced catastrophic floods in the country.

“The prime minister will outline concrete proposals for collectively tackling the existential threat posed by climate change,” the statement said.

The statement added that the premier will also share “Pakistan’s position and perspective on regional and global issues of concern, including Jammu and Kashmir”.

Further, the premier will participate in the Global Food Security Summit jointly organised by the African Union, European Union, and the United States, and a closed-door leaders gathering on COP27 bringing together select world leaders to discuss climate change.

On the sidelines, the prime minister will hold a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various countries, president of the General Assembly, the UN secretary general as well as heads of international organisations, international financial institutions and philanthropic organisations, the FO said.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb will accompany the prime minister during his trip alongside other senior officials.

According to the FO, the PM’s participation in the UNGA Session was a manifestation of Pakistan’s abiding commitment to multilateralism, with the UN playing a central role in international affairs for promoting peace and prosperity worldwide.

This year’s General Assembly is particularly significant because this will be the first in-person summit of world leaders at the United Nations since 2019. The 2020 and 2021 sessions were converted into virtual meetings because of the Covid-19 pandemic.