President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (ROBINSON NIÑAL/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte will join world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly’s (UNGA) special session that will take up the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-1) 9 pandemic, Malacañang announced on Thursday.
“The 31st Special Session of UNGA will be held virtually, with President Duterte expected to deliver the Philippine Statement on 03 December 2020, New York time,” a Palace statement said.
This will mark Duterte’s second time to address the UNGA.
The first time was in September when he spoke before the UNGA’s High Level General Debate.
The President is expected to renew his call for “universal access to anti-COVID-19 technologies and products and the need for global efforts to ensure availability of safe and effective vaccines to peoples of developing nations.”
In his speech before the UN in September, Duterte said that the expected COVID-19 vaccine should be made available to all nations, rich or poor, “as a matter of policy.”