President William Ruto will on Wednesday, September 21, make his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Kenyan Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Martin Kimani confirmed that President Ruto had been slated for 9.pm (EAT) to address 193 presidents and heads of government.
Ambassador Kimani explained the speech will not be about the president, but the focus will be on how he will present Kenyan issues on the world stage. He revealed that Kenyans can follow the address live.
“A date with the world. President will deliver Kenya’s National Statement at 2p.m New York time (9 pm local time),” the Ambassador wrote.
The President will lobby other nations to enter into diplomatic agreements with Kenya guided by its Foreign Policy. He will cement existing relations by participating in the quest for the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs and global leadership in emerging issues such as climate change.
How to Watch
Log onto the UN Web TV by keying in the url www(dot)un(dot)org
On the language menu, select ‘English’. This will lead you to the UN home page.
Click the ‘Live Now’ icon at the top right of the page to direct you to the media page.
A live feed has been embedded at the top of the page. Click the play icon to watch.
Ruto’s Trip to The US
President Ruto arrived in New York on September 20, after attending the stated funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London, the United Kingdom.
He is attending the UNGA after which he is expected to meet with American President Joe Biden. The Head of State will hold bilateral talks with Biden.
The 77th General Assembly was officially opened by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on September 20. The theme of this year's forum is “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking changes."
The Ukrainian war and its ripple effects across the world are likely to feature prominently in the high-level convention. Climate change will also be discussed by world leaders.
Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, India's Droupadi Mumru and the Ethiopian Prime Minister have excused themselves from the meeting and sent representatives.
