President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has arrived in New York City to participate in the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He is accompanied on the trip by First Lady Fazna Ahmed and a high-level Maldivian delegation.
Upon landing at John F Kennedy Airport, President Solih was received by the President of the UNGA Abdulla Shahid and Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the United Nations (UN) Thilmeeza Hussain.
After their arrival, the president, first lady, and the Maldivian delegation attended a special dinner at the President of the General Assembly (PGA) Residence in New York City. During the trip, President Solih will deliver his address at the 76th session of the UNGA on September 21. The president will also participate in several bilateral and multilateral discussions with state and government leaders during the trip. He will conclude the trip to New York and return to the Maldives on September 28.
The Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid will be chairing the 76th session as the new president of the UNGA. The UNGA elected Shahid as its president for the new session, which runs from September 2021 until September 2022, after being nominated as the Maldives candidate by President Solih.
The President's Office stated the new session marks a momentous occasion in Maldivian history in the UN, with a Maldivian serving as the president of the UNGA for the first time.