Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has arrived today, 6am local time, in New York City for the 79th United Nations General Assembly.

The Prime Minister was met upon arrival by Papua New Guinea’s Ambassador to the United States, Fred Sarufa and received by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Justin Tkatchenko; Minister for National Planning, Hon. Ano Pala; Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, Hon. Simon Kilepa; and Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Elias Wohengu.

Today’s itinerary covered several side meetings with ExxonMobil, Global Partnership for Education, and Global Leadership Foundation, as soon as PM Mar- ape disembarked and was briefed.

Tomorrow, Friday 27 September 2024, at 12pm local time, he will present the PNG Country Statement, which will centre on the theme of 79th UNGA session “Leaving no one behind: Acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”.

The statement will highlight once more the importance of environment conservation in light of climate change, putting forward Papua New Guinea’s unique position as the holder of the world’s third largest rainforest, seven percent of the world’s biodiversity, and 10 percent of the world’s languages and sub-cultures. It will also highlight poverty alleviation, and geo-political tensions leading to conflicts that have cascading adverse impacts on countries and livelihoods. The statement will then call upon leaders of the world to work harder on solutions for the collective good of the planet and humanity.

Prime Minister Marape will have an opportunity to sit with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a bilateral meeting after his debate presentation, and will retire for the observance of Sabbath in the evening to prepare for worship on Saturday at a local Seventh Day Adventist Church.

He will depart New York for Papua New Guinea on the evening of Saturday, 28 September 2024.