The Chief Minister Hon Fabian Picardo KC MP and the Deputy Chief Minister Hon Dr Joseph Garcia CMG MP leave for New York this weekend in order to attend a meeting of the United Nations Committee of 24.

This is in line with the long-established policy of the Government to put across Gibraltar’s position both to the UN Committee of 24 in June and to the Special Political and Decolonisation Committee (Fourth Committee) in October.

The latest UN session will take place on Monday, when the Chief Minister will call for the removal of Gibraltar from the UN list of Non-Self-Governing Territories and will also strongly assert that the people of Gibraltar have the right to determine their own future.

Mr Picardo will return to Gibraltar on Tuesday.

Dr Garcia will remain in New York on Government business and will return on Wednesday.

In their absence, the Minister for Education, the Environment and Climate Change Professor John Cortes MBE MP will act as Chief Minister.