President to address UN General Assembly today

RIGA - President Egils Levits will be on a working visit to New York until September 22. His working visit to United States will include participation in the opening of the 77th Session of the General Assembly of United Nations (UN).

Today, Levits will deliver his speech at the opening session of the UN General Assembly. President Levits intends to focus his address to other world leaders on the importance of restoring the international order. He will also call for special international tribunal tasked with investigating Russia’s accountability for the war crimes committed in Ukraine. The speech will also focus on digital security and use of technologies to achieve global sustainable development goals.

While attending the UN General Assembly, Levits will join his Baltic counterparts for a joint meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Manoel de Oliveira Guterres and President of Poland Andrzej Duda. The president of Latvia will also meet with Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, a UN gender equality and equal opportunities agency. The president of Latvia will also have a series of bilateral meetings with other heads of state and government to discuss how Latvia can contribute to the UN agenda. Levits will also be interviewed by several international media outlets.

The president and first lady will also attend the reception hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

First Lady Andra Levite will join other first ladies and gentlemen for a joint meeting with the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Houry Geudelekian, Chairperson of NGO Committee on the Status of Women, and representatives of the International Disability Alliance. The First Lady of Latvia will also meet with the Latvian diaspora in US, including healthcare, academic and education professionals working or studying in New York.