President Tharman to visit the US, will meet UN chief Guterres
The President will also deliver a lecture and engage in a dialogue at New York's Columbia University during his first official trip as Singapore's head of state.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will make a working visit to New York from Nov 27 to Dec 4, his office said on Sunday (Nov 26).
It will be his first official trip as Singapore's head of state.
During his visit, he will deliver a lecture and engage in a dialogue at Columbia University as part of its World Leaders Forum series.
Mr Tharman will also meet United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as well as several financial sector leaders.
He will also chair a meeting of the UN Human Development Report Advisory Board and a Group of Thirty (G30) plenary hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The G30 is an independent global council of economic and financial leaders.
The advisory board for the UN Human Development Report, meanwhile, "provides intellectual advice and guidance on the overall vision, direction and message" of the annual report, the President's Office said in response to queries from CNA.
The President will also meet a group of Singaporeans based in the United States.
Officials from the President's Office will accompany Mr Tharman on the trip. In his absence, Mr Eddie Teo, the chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers, will exercise the functions of the office of President, the President's Office added.
Mr Tharman was sworn in at the Istana on Sep 14 as Singapore's ninth President after a landslide election victory. He won more than 70 per cent of the vote.
Earlier this week, parliament approved a legal framework for the President and ministers to hold roles in foreign and global organisations in their private capacities, if it is in the national interest.
Mr Tharman, a former Senior Minister, had resigned from all positions in the government and the People's Action Party to stand in the election on Sep 1.
He has been the chairman of the G30 board of trustees since 2017 and has co-chaired the advisory board for the UN Human Development Report since 2019.
"He leads the board for the 2023 Human Development Report with Joseph E Stiglitz, and co-chaired the previous three editions with Thomas Piketty, Michael Spence and Michele Lamont, respectively," the President's Office said.
Mr Tharman also sits on the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees and co-chairs the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, which makes recommendations to the United Nations and other international forums.
