President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc attends the opening session of the high-level general debate of the UN General Assembly's 76th session. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc attended the opening session of the high-level general debate of the General Assembly’s 76th session on September 21 (New York time).

Themed "Building resilience through hope – to recover from COVID-19, rebuild sustainably, respond to the needs of the planet, respect the rights of people, and revitalize the United Nations”, the event saw heads of state/government, prime ministers and high-ranking representatives from 193 member states, the President of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General along with leaders of international and regional organisations and international financial institutions.

Participants discussed and put forth solutions and proposals to address global issues of common concern such as impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, recovery and sustainable development, hotspots in regions, and non-traditional challenges, including climate change and food security.

Addressing the event, President of the UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid pledged to boost international cooperation in order to cope with and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, towards sustainability. He stressed the need to increase global efforts to respond to climate change, reduce poverty, promote and protect human rights, ensuring no one is left behind.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutuerres called for the international community’s prompt actions and cooperation to seek solutions to a series of crises such as COVID-19 and climate change. He emphasised priority to speeding up the implementation of sustainable development goals, and promoting equal access to COVID-19 vaccines.

The annual high-level general debate will last till September 27. 

President Phúc is scheduled to delivere a speech on September 22 afternoon (New York time), in which he proposes comprehensive, long-term solutions to urgent international issues, contributing to maintaining global peace and security and promoting sustainable and inclusive development in the globe.

On the occasion, President Phúc will have meetings with senior leaders of countries, international organisations, and join summits within the framework of the UN General Assembly’s 76th session.

Signing of agreements

President Phúc on the same day witnessed the signing of an agreement worth nearly US$2 billion between Việt Nam’s Bamboo Airways and the General Electric’s GE Aviation in New York on September 21.

Under the deal, the airline will purchase GENx engines, which will be delivered next year, to power its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft and a maintenance package for its Boeing 787-9 fleet.

The fleet will be used on planned non-stop routes between Việt Nam and the US.

The same day, the carrier announced the launch of its Việt Nam – US direct route.

If conditions permit, the flight service will begin in early 2022 with three weekly flights initially. Given the market demand, the capacity could increase to five or seven flights per week.

Initially, the airline will run flights linking Tân Sơn Nhất and San Francisco international airports. In the long term, it also plans to operate flights to both San Francisco and Los Angeles international airports in California state.

With the debut of the official ticket agent and linkage with the US partners, Bamboo Airways saw that it is time to make new strides in effectively tapping routes linking the two continents, contributing to boosting trade and meeting demand for travelling between the two countries. — VNS