PM Kamla addresses UNGA Wednesday at 7 p.m.

PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar leaves COP Leader Prakash Ramadhar in charge
as she leaves for New York to attend the UNGA. Dr Roodal Moonilal looks on 

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will address the General Council of the United Nations in New York Wednesday at 7 p.m. Persad-Bissessar arrived in New York Tuesday morning to attend the 68th United Nations General Assembly, which is being chaired by Ambassador Dr John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda.

The Prime Minister will deliver the CARICOM Statement to the General Assembly in her role as the current chair of CARICOM. She'll also speak as the lead Member State in CARICOM responsible for the security portfolio in the Quasi Cabinet.

In a media release, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said in addition to her speaking engagements the PM deposit T&T's instruments of ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which signals that Trinidad and Tobago will formally express its consent to be bound by the provisions of the ATT.

It also means that Trinidad and Tobago will apply Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty provisionally pending its entry into force, the OPM said.

The treaty takes effect when 50 states have ratified it. 

Trinidad and Tobago has stated that it is committed to assist the region by hosting regional workshops to address issues relating to the full implementation of the treaty.

Persad-Bissessar will also addess a high level event entitled: “The ATT – Towards Entry into Force hosted by the co-authors of the original ATT resolution - Argentina, Finland, the UK, Australia, Kenya and Japan. Speakers will include the president of Costa Rica, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Foreign Ministers of Mexico and Finland and the Vice president of Switzerland.

Another item on the PM's agenda is her participation in the Clinton Global Initiative 2013. The annual event brings together global leaders in business and Governments to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. This year’s theme is ‘Mobilizing for Impact’.

Trinidad and Tobago will participate in discussions on exploring ‘Opportunities for partnership in deploying renewable energy solutions in the Caribbean region’.

The OPM said the event offers Trinidad and Tobago the opportunity to:

• continue to establish itself as a leader in the region on the issue of climate change and renewable energy development
• highlight the potential of Trinidad and Tobago as fertile ground for investment and the entry point for regional development and deployment of renewable energy technologies
• harness public private partnership opportunities at the international level in support of renewable energy development

Other participants in the event include:

• David Crane, President and CEO, NRG Energy, Inc
• Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former Secretary of State of the United States
• Reeta Roy, President and CEO, The MasterCard Foundation
• José María Figueres, Former President of the Republic of Costa Rica

The Prime Minister will also meet with the T&T Diaspora community and deliver a Republic Day address at the commemorative event to be hosted by the Consul General in New York.

The PM's addresss to the UNGA will be on the theme: “The Post 2015 Development Agenda. Setting the stage!”

The event allows the PM to:

1. Outline the progress Trinidad and Tobago has made in achieving the Millennium Development Goals to date
2. Highlight persistent challenges in areas such as poverty eradication and hunger and HIV/AIDS and call for enhanced cooperation from the international community in addressing these issues
3. Call for an acceleration of efforts toward the achievement of the MDGs
4. Outline emerging areas which demand attention in the context of the Post 2015 development agenda such as the energy, food security and water, climate change as a cross-cutting issue, the issues of women and youth and the overall requirement for a people centered approach to sustainable development