President Halonen to attend the UN General Assembly

Office of the President of the Republic of Finland Press release 10 September 2009

President of the Republic Tarja Halonen and Dr Pentti Arajärvi will travel to New York for the opening of the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly on 19-26 September 2009. President Halonen will deliver Finland's statement as part of the general debate on Thursday, 24 September.

Key focuses during the opening week will include climate issues, sustainable development and the theme of "women, security and climate change", concerning which Finland will arrange a meeting together with Liberia on 24 September. President Halonen will serve as co-chair at the event, which will follow up an international colloquium on women's leadership that was held in Monrovia last March.

On Tuesday, 22 September UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will arrange a high-level Summit on Climate Change, at which President Halonen will co-chair a roundtable on transforming economies in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly direction. She will also participate in a luncheon discussion for heads of state and government, business leaders and representatives of civil society on the topic of sustainable enterprises and decent work, among other things.

During the week President Halonen will meet with various heads of state and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. She will also attend a reception hosted by US President Barack Obama and a gathering of women leaders convened by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.