President to lead Slovak delegation at UN General Assembly

Slovakia's delegation at the 71st session of the UN General Assembly will be led by President Andrej Kiska, according to the proposal for the delegation's participation okayed by the Cabinet at its away-session in Vranov nad Topľou (Prešov region) on Tuesday. In line with the proposal, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák and Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the UN František Ružička will be Kiska's deputies in New York. The upcoming session of the UN General Assembly will open on September 13. During the session, the Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Ministry expects the activities concerning UN peacekeeping operations, peacebuilding and women's role in peacekeeping and security processes to intensify, in keeping with last year's evaluation processes. The ministry also envisages increased efforts in the context of adoption of several global agreements, chiefly in the development field and the fight against global warming. The participation in the UN General Assembly should also be a good opportunity to win UN member states' support for Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia's candidate for United Nations secretary-general. Support will also be sought for a post in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) and a non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council in 2028-2029 - a post Slovakia last held in 2006-07.