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The President of the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, has arrived Nigeria today as part of her eight-day official visit to Central and West Africa, which began on Friday.

Garcés, previously Ecuador’s Foreign Affairs Minister, will be received by senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UN Office in Abuja. During the visit, the UNGA President will hold a bilateral meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, who returned from a private visit to London yesterday, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, at the Presidential Villa.

Key issues to be discussed during her visit include Nigeria’s ascension to the 74th UNGA presidency. Nigeria’s permanent representative at the UN, Professor Tijani Muhammad-Bande, had made public his intention to vie for the position. Presidency of the 74th General Assembly is zoned to Africa in “full respect of the established principle of geographical rotation,” according to the UNGA.

Other topical issues to be addressed are Nigeria’s role in regional peace and security, Nigeria’s regional initiatives towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and strengthening of multilateralism as a response to global challenges. Multilateralism refers to the alliance of many countries in pursuance of a common goal. For example, the UN and the African Union.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Friday Akpan, said the UNGA President will also be presenting a paper, titled, “Responding to global challenges in a fast-changing world: The case for strengthening multilateralism,” at the University of Abuja. Before her departure on Wednesday, Espinosa will be holding an interactive session with women at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Elected as the UNGA President on June 5 and assumed duty on 18 September 2018, Garcés will be completing her one-year tenure on September 17. Election of the 74th UNGA President is scheduled for June 4, 2019. The UNGA is one of the main six organs of the United Nations, with all 193 member states represented. It deliberates on policy matters, peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary matters.