Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Tuesday attended the 78th opening session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78). Earlier, the caretaker PM reached the UN headquarters to attend the welcoming reception hosted by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for the heads of state and government. The prime minister, addressing the High Level Meeting on Global Development Initiative (GDI) Cooperation Outcomes, expressed Pakistan’s support for the Global Development Initiative (GDI), highlighted the need for adequate financing and called for action in key areas to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. He urged for action in five key areas including food production, infrastructure investment, industrialization, resilient healthcare systems and the bridging digital divide. He highlighted the necessity of adequate and appropriate finance at all levels of the development process and welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s announcement of setting up another fund of $10 billion dedicated to the implementation of the GDI. The prime minister highlighted that progress towards achieving the SDGs had suffered a serious setback due to the poly crises of COVID-19, conflict and climate change. He expressed Pakistan’s support for the GDI and commended the milestones achieved in its implementation, the most recent being the successful launch of the Inter-Agency Task Force on GDI. Prime Minister Kakar stressed that China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor were vital vehicles for achieving the SDGs. He stated that Pakistan looked forward to enhancing its cooperation with China and other members of the Group of Friends of GDI to realize their collective aspiration for the implementation of SDGs. The event also featured the opening remarks by Vice President of China Han Zheng, President of the General Assembly Dennis Francis, and other high-level dignitaries, as well as a video briefing and presentation on GDI cooperation. Meanwhile, Kakar held a bilateral meeting with President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi wherein he reaffirmed Pakistan’s strong commitment to further strengthen and deepen ties with the brotherly country, with particular focus on enhancing cooperation in the economic domain. Underscoring the close fraternal relations between the two neighbouring countries, the prime minister stressed that steps including the recent inauguration of the Mand-Border border marketplace, would not only contribute to the economic uplift of the border areas but also serve as a tangible manifestation of the collective commitment to work for the betterment of the two peoples. Noting that President Raisi’s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ was fully aligned with Pakistan’s vision for regional development and connectivity, he emphasised the importance for both countries to leverage their unique geographical location to promote shared objectives of regional peace and prosperity, through greater trade and enhanced regional connectivity. Pakistan-Iran relations are characterized by regular high-level exchanges, commonality of views on important regional and global issues, and strengthened cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.