(New York) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in New York, where he will attend the 79e session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the Future Summit, from September 22 to 25, in a context of growing geopolitical instability in the world.
“I look forward to working with other leaders to accelerate progress on our shared priorities and build a better future for all,” Trudeau said in a news release last week.
The Canadian Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver a speech at the plenary session of the Future Summit on Sunday.
He is also expected to meet with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s presence at the UN headquarters in New York comes as his government is set to face its first test this week in Ottawa since the New Democratic Party (NDP) ended its confidence agreement with the Liberals.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre plans to table a non-confidence motion this week indicating that the House of Commons no longer has confidence in Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government or its prime minister.
PHOTO BLAIR GABLE, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
NDP and Bloc Québécois MPs have indicated they intend to vote against the Conservatives. Their votes will give Mr. Trudeau the space he needs to focus on international rallying rather than a general election at home.
The ambitions of the Summit of the Future
The Future Summit, announced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2021, will take place on Sunday and Monday before the start of the annual meetings at the General Assembly.
Its aim is to reform the UN, reinvigorate multilateralism and find solutions to new challenges at a time when the global institution has faced criticism for its handling of 21e century, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza.
Mr. Guterres urged member countries last week to compromise and endorse the “Compact for the Future,” a plan to address a wide range of global challenges. But Russia, Saudi Arabia and others oppose some ideas on climate change and reforming international financial institutions.
PHOTO ANGELA WEISS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Canada has been active in the UN since its creation in 1945 and contributed to the drafting of the UN Charter.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, co-chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocates Group, will reaffirm Canada’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda, a 15-year global framework adopted in 2015 that aims to create a safer world free from poverty and hunger. Equal opportunities in education and universal health coverage are also among the goals of the Agenda.
Mr. Trudeau will also co-host a discussion with Haiti’s interim Prime Minister Garry Conille on “solutions that are led by Haitians,” a statement said.
Canada is heavily involved in Haiti’s response to the ongoing humanitarian, political and security crises in the Caribbean country. A UN report released in June noted that rising gang activity has displaced nearly 580,000 people in the country since March.
While at the United Nations headquarters, Mr. Trudeau will also host an event with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on climate change, carbon pricing and industrial decarbonization.
With reporting from reporter Dylan Robertson in Ottawa and The Associated Press.