. Ban KI-moon

By SYLVESTER MWALE –
UNITED Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asked President Edgar Lungu to repeat part of his speech delivered in Parliament last Friday when the Head of State addresses a high level meeting in New York.
The request has been made after the UN chief realised that Mr Lungu’s fundamental pronouncements had gone far in addressing issues on which the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set.
Special Assistant to the President for Press and Public Relations Amos Chanda revealed the request at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport on Wednesday evening before Mr Lungu’s departure for the UN General Assembly.
“His Excellency Ban Ki-moon has specifically requested President Lungu to co-chair the high level panel discussion of 142 countries.
“As you know, the MDGs were set in 2000 to 2016, so the United Nations is impressed with some of the fundamentals laid down in the state of the national address by President Lungu,” he said.
Mr Lungu who is in the US for the UN General Assembly has received widespread accolades after his national address when he opened the Fifth Session of the Eleventh National Assembly last Friday.
The Head of State touched on various social and economic issues including the proposal to change the law that compels the Government to build houses for former presidents on account that it was unsustainable.
The UN would want Mr Lungu to talk about the issues raised in the speech because they cut across the aspirations of the global organisation.
Mr Chanda said these could also be used as a model in addressing the challenges currently faced by the UN and its member states.
Mr Lungu has a tight schedule but his address of the General Assembly tomorrow and the co-chairing of the high level panel discussion of 142 countries stand out among other engagements.
The President is also expected to meet several heads of State who have asked to have bilateral engagements during the time in the US.
Mr Chanda revealed that one of the major bilateral meetings Mr Lungu would have on the side lines of the UN General assembly would be with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr Lungu is also expected to meet many other European leaders who have requested to discuss with him bilateral cooperation including owners of Lumwana Mine Barrick Gold and Turkish investors.
Apart from Mr Chanda, the President who left aboard a chartered plane at 23:50 hours on Wednesday, is accompanied by some senior Government officials.