Addressing a leaders dialogue event entitled Megatrends Impacting the Achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, Šarec pointed to clear socio-economic trends that will affect the ability to meet the 17 goals.

He highlighted demographic change, the degradation of the environment, globalisation and technological innovation as the megatrends that will affect the future quality of life.

Šarec sees them as opportunities and challenges, which require leadership, responsibility and long-term measures. Also crucial will be cooperation at state, regional and global levels.

He stressed that Slovenia remained ambitious in its efforts to meet the Agenda 2030 goals and that it placed 12th among 162 countries in this year's UN report on the agenda's implementation. It is particularly successful in the eradication of extreme forms of poverty and in securing access to greener energy sources.

In 2017, Slovenia adopted a new strategy on the country's development until 2030, which was recognised by the OECD as one of the first national development documents in the world to comprehensively link each of the development goals to Agenda 2030.

Meanwhile, Šarec also attended on Tuesday the opening of the general debate of the General Assembly session and the lunch for delegation leaders organised by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Also on his schedule was a meeting with Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo, while he concluded the day at a traditional reception for delegation leaders hosted by US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

Today, Šarec is to attend an event held as part of Bloomberg's global business forum, while he is also expected to pay an informal visit to the Church of St. Cyril, a Slovenian church in East Village, and the parish priest, Father Martin Krizolog.

The prime minister was accompanied at the opening of the general debate and the meeting with Ghana's president by Foreign Minister Miro Cerar, while the latter also held a bilateral meeting with Moldavian counterpart Nicu Popescu and attended a high-level meeting on Syria organised by the EU.

Cerar is to address today a conference on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty and attend an event of the Media Freedom Coalition, a ministerial of the G3 (Global Governance Group), a ministerial lunch of the Central European Initiative and a transatlatnic dinner of foreign minister hosted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.