The high-level week of the 78th annual UNGA commenced on Tuesday and will continue through next week. Hundreds of world leaders and delegates have gathered in New York to attend the event, with around 150 heads of states and governments set to deliver speeches.
The theme of this year’s summit is “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 UK delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden and comprising of Cleverly and other ministers, will be addressing the UK’s commitment to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) during the event, according to a statement from the British government.
The British foreign secretary said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was too busy to attend the summit.
“The deputy prime minister is here. I am here, as are a number of other of our cabinet colleagues. We regard the work of the United Nations as incredibly important and we continue to support it,” Cleverly told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda in New York on Tuesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Dowden is set to deliver the UK’s speech during the summit on Friday, where he will touch on the benefits of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and the need for cooperation between states to ensure their advantages while also preventing their misuse.
“The UK has always worked closely with the UN to create a safer, healthier and more prosperous world. I look forward to using this year to discuss the challenges and opportunities of AI, so that the benefits of this revolutionary technology are felt fairly across the world, and how Britain can be at the forefront of that effort,” said Dowden.
