Press Release
President of the UN General Assembly to visit Fiji
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 15 March 2017 – The President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Peter Thomson, will visit Suva, Fiji, from 16 to 17 March 2017, to participate in several high-level meetings and official engagements, with the purpose of creating awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals and advancing preparations for The Ocean Conference which will be held at the UN in New York from 5-9 June 2017.
President Thomson will participate in the Pacific Regional Preparatory Meeting on The Ocean Conference, also known as the High-Level United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. During his stay in Suva, he will also call on the President, Hon. Jioji Konusi Konrote, and the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Josaia V. Bainimarama. President Thomson will also deliver a lecture at the University of the South Pacific on the implementation of the SDGs and The Ocean Conference.
On his way to the Republic of Fiji, President Thomson made a one-day stop in Los Angeles, California on 14 March where he met the Chief Scientist for Oceans Conservation International, Mr. Greg Stone, the ocean explorer and film director James Cameron and participated in an event hosted by the U.N. Associations of Southern California to highlight the Sustainable Development Goals.
The President is being accompanied on different stages of this trip by the Office of the President of the General Assembly’s Chef de Cabinet, Tomas Anker Christensen, and Senior Advisers Francella Strickland and Itai Madamombe. Travel and accommodation expenses for the President and accompanying officers will be covered by the Office of the President of the General Assembly’s Trust Fund, the Government of Fiji and personal funds.
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FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT:
Dan Thomas, Communications Director & Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, T: +1 917 225 1913 | E: daniel.Thomas@un.org
Tomas Pico, Deputy Communications Director & Deputy Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, T: +1 646 763 3709 | E: picot@un.org