Shola Oyeyipo in Abuja
The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Her Excellency, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, has arrived Nigeria on a three days offiicial visit.
The UN bigwig was received by top officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office.
A statement by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa of the Crises Monitoring and Public Communications Division, Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that the “Minister of Foreign Affairs will on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 (today) receive in audience the visiting President of the United Nations General Assembly, Her Excellency, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, at 10.00 a.m. The meeting will be followed by a Joint Press Conference at 11.00 a.m.”
According to Ebienfa, Garcés and her delegation will be received by the senior officials of the ministry.
“The President of the United Nations General Assembly and her delegation will be received on arrival by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office in Abuja”, the statement said.
The key issues to be discussed during the meeting are: Nigeria’s transition to the 74th Presidency of the General Assembly; upcoming high-level meetings; strengthening multilateralism to respond to global challenges; Nigeria’s role in regional peace and security; and Nigeria’s regional initiatives to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
She is expected to have bilateral meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa.
Other engagements of the President of the United Nations General Assembly while in Nigeria include: visit to the University of Abuja, where she would present a paper with the theme “Responding to Global Challenges in a fast-changing World: the Case for Strengthening Multilateralism”; and Interactive Session with Women at the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development with the theme: “The Role of Women in the Promotion of Multilateralism”.
She is expected to round off the visit tomorrow.
