Sept 17, Colombo: Following his participation in the G77+China Summit in Cuba, President Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in New York Saturday, to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in the U.S.

This session, themed “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” is scheduled to take place from September 18 to 21.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe is slated to address the session on September 21, where he will deliver a special speech. Furthermore, the President will actively participate in the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals Summit, where global leaders will outline strategies for transformative and accelerated actions towards 2030, President’s Media Division said.

Additionally, President Wickremesinghe has been invited to deliver the keynote speech at the Indo-Pacific Island Dialogue for Maritime Nations. In parallel, he has scheduled bilateral discussions with several state leaders participating in the conference.

Participating in the G77+ China summit in Havana Sri Lankan President delivered a compelling address on Friday emphasizing the crucial role of science, technology and innovation in overcoming the current development challenges faced by developing nations worldwide.

Underscoring that the brain drain from Global South to the North and the resulting loss of educated manpower is a threat to developing countries, President Wickremesinghe called on the North to compensate “for the loss of our manpower.”