Heads of government and ministers from around the world are meeting in New York this week for the 64th UN General Assembly.

Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, and Minister for the Middle East, Ivan Lewis, will be joining the Prime Minister and other government ministers for a series of high level meetings.

The PM said world leaders attending the General Assembly and the upcoming G20 must agree common action to prevent climate change, fight terrorism, overcome poverty, secure prosperity and end nuclear proliferation.

This Tuesday will be dominated by the UN Secretary General's high level event on climate change which is the last chance for world leaders to come together and send the vital message that they are ready to 'seal the deal' in Copenhagen this December.

Nuclear non-proliferation is also high on the agenda with Barack Obama chairing a UN Security Council meeting to discuss nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation and ministers from the E3+3 (Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia and the US) meeting ahead of talks with Iran on 1 October.

David Miliband said:

"This week in New York I will chair a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of those six countries as we prepare for this very important meeting of political directors on the 1st of October.

It's time for concrete steps by Iran to show that they are willing to live within the rules of the Non Proliferation Treaty that have been so important in limiting nuclear proliferation over the last forty years."

David Miliband explained why this week is so important for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in an article published in The Guardian on 21 September.

"This is one of the most critical issues we face. Get it right, and we will increase global security, pave the way for a world without nuclear weapons and improve access to affordable, safe and dependable energy – vital to tackle climate change. Get it wrong, and we face the spread of nuclear weapons and the chilling prospect of nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists."

Read the full article in The Guardian

The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary will also be strongly supporting President Obama's efforts aimed at launching a new round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority with the Quartet meeting later in the week.

Other important events David Miliband and Ivan Lewis will be attending at the General Assembly will cover the Commonwealth, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Burma.

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