MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to speak before the UN General Assembly on Tuesday night in the Philippines.
Duterte's participation in the the high-level general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly or UNGA was announced by Chief of Presidential Protocol for Foreign Affairs Robert Borje during a virtual briefing on Monday.
"This will be the president's first time to address the UN General Assembly, the main deliberative board of the UN, where all 193 member states are represented," he also said.
Borje said the president will cover the following topics in his speech:
- the response to COVID-19
- peace and security, including terrorism and geopolitical developments in the Asia Pacific
- sustainable development and climate change
- the rule of law
- justice and human rights, including the situation of migrant workers and refugees
- peacekeeping and the United Nations
Duterte is set to speak on the first day of the general debate and will be the 12th of the 14 speakers lined up for the morning session, which starts at 9 a.m. New York time or 9 p.m. in the Philippines.