First Lady of Zambia arrives in USA for High-Level meetings

NEW YORK, Saturday, September 19, 2015 – The First Lady of the Republic of Zambia, Her Excellency Mrs Esther Lungu, arrived in the US on Saturday for a series of high-level meetings in Dallas Taxes and New York.

Mrs Lungu arrived in New York around 9:12 PM Saturday night and was received by Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Her Excellency Ambassador Dr Mwaba Kasese-Bota at JFK International Airport. The First Lady will on Sunday proceed to Dallas, where she has been invited by the George W. Bush Institute, to participate in high-profile engagements with other First Ladies focusing on women empowerment, health, technology and other sectors.

Mrs Lungu will participate in the meetings alongside US First Lady Her Excellency Mrs Michelle Obama and former First Lady Her Excellency Mrs Laura Bush. Mrs Obama and Mrs Bush will jointly moderate an interactive discussion on Tuesday.

Mrs Lungu is registered to speak at the Invest in Women, a discussion to be moderated by Mrs. Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and founder of Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, at the Bush Center Auditorium. Other speakers at the event will include Intel Corporation corporate affairs vice president Shelly Esque, founder and CEO of ARZU Project Hope Connie Duckworth and Opportunity International Global CEO Vicki Escarra.

She will also attend the Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon and public private partnership panel meeting where former US President His Excellency Mr. George W. Bush will make remarks. Other meetings Mrs Lungu participate in will include the First Ladies Roundtable on improving maternal and child health in Africa, and the technology and innovative training focusing on Facebook and Google best practices.

Mr and Mrs Bush will host a dinner for the first ladies.

On return to New York, Mrs Lungu will participate in a series of meetings including those on the Women and the New Sustainable Development Agenda (25^th September), Forum of African First Ladies Against Cervical Cancer (27^th September), Organisation of African First ladies against HIV/AIDS (28^th September), reception hosted by UN Secretary General’s wife Her Excellency Mrs Ban Son-taek (29 September) and the First Ladies Technical Advisors Fellowship (1^st October) on the sidelines of the 70^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Since assuming office on January 25 this year, Mrs Lungu has received accolades for leading various initiatives to promote the empowerment of women, girls, the disabled and other needy people, as well as lobbying for public and private sector-led provision of health and social support to communities across Zambia.

Issued by:

CHIBAULA D. SILWAMBA (Mr.)

First Secretary for Press and Public Relations

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zambia to the United Nations

www.zambiaun.com

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