Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday left for New York to attend the 78th edition of the United Nations General Assembly.

Speaker Devraj Ghimire, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha and other ministers and leaders saw off the prime minister.

Dahal is accompanied by his daughter Ganga Dahal, Foreign Minister NP Saud, Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal and other senior foreign ministry officials.

The prime minister will attend the opening session of the general debate of the UNGA and also the reception to be hosted by US President Joe Biden on September 19.

The prime minister is scheduled to address the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, the foreign ministry stated.

Dahal will also address the UN Sustainable Development Goals Summit and Climate Ambition Summit, among others, on the sidelines of the UNGA.

The General Debate of the 78th UNGA is themed ‘Rebuilding Trust and Reigniting Global Solidarity: Accelerating Action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards Peace, Prosperity, Progress and Sustainability for All.’

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dahal will also meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his counterparts from various countries.

From New York, the prime minister will embark on a visit to China on September 22 to attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games at the invitation of Premier Li Qiang. Dahal will visit Hangzhou, Beijing, and Chongqing and will return via Tibet.

Meanwhile, the Office of the President said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Purna Bahadur Khadka will look after the prime minister’s responsibilities in his absence. Defence Minister Khadka is second in rank in the Cabinet.

President Ramchandra Paudel assigned the responsibility to Khadka at Prime Minister Dahal’s recommendation, reads a statement issued by the Office of the President.