Vivian Balakrishnan to make 7-day New York visit for UN General Assembly session
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who returned to Singapore from Canada's Ottawa over the weekend, will be visiting New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from Sept 22 to 28.Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a Monday (Sept 21) statement that Dr Balakrishnan will deliver Singapore's statement at the general debate of the UNGA on Sept 26.While in New York, he will host several high-level events, including the Global Governance Group (3G) ministerial meeting and a reception for the Forum of Small States. The 3G is an informal coalition of 30 small and medium-sized member countries of the UN, founded by Singapore in 2009.Its members include the current UNGA president Dr Khalilur Rahman, the incumbent G20 president, and two previous G20 presidents. The grouping acts as a bridge to ensure that major G20 economic and policy decisions take into account the perspectives of smaller nations regardless of their size or development status.