Ottawa/IBNS-CMEDIA: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to New York from September 21 to 23 to attend the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly, as Ottawa looks to broaden its international partnerships and advance UN reform.
The trip follows Carney’s recent visit to Strasbourg and Liverpool to strengthen ties with the European Union and the United Kingdom and builds on the first Canada Investment Summit.
At the assembly, Carney is scheduled to meet with international leaders and investors and take part in bilateral meetings and forums aimed at deepening Canada’s economic and security partnerships.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Carney will use the visit to reaffirm Canada’s support for Ukraine and its commitment to a two-state solution in the Middle East. He is also expected to press for progress on maritime security and ocean protection.
As co-chair of the OceanEye International Alliance, Carney will seek international support for a sustainable ocean economy ahead of the Our Ocean Conference, which Canada is set to host in 2027.
This year’s assembly comes as member states weigh reforms to the UN and consider candidates to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second term ends December 31, 2026.
His successor is expected to take office January 1, 2027. The government said Carney will work with international partners during his visit to help build a more effective UN.
“The world is looking at Canada differently. Investment in Canada is growing, our partnerships are deepening, and our influence is expanding,” Carney said in a statement.
“At a moment when the international order is being remade, Canada intends to help shape it. At the General Assembly, we will sit down with partners old and new, defend the rules that protect our sovereignty, and turn cooperation into real opportunity for Canadian workers and businesses,” Carney stated.
Canada is a founding member of the UN and has been involved in its work for more than eight decades.
The government said Canada was the UN’s sixth-largest donor in 2024, contributing more than $2.2 billion to support the organisation’s work on sustainable development, human rights and international peace and security, and that Canada pays its mandatory contributions in full and on time.
Canada also hosts the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN specialised agency headquartered in Montreal for more than 80 years.
This year’s session carries the theme “Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.”
(Reporting by Suman Das)
