President Paul Kagame is on Tuesday this week expected to address world leaders at the 74th United Nations General Assembly.

This year’s general debate is themed "Galvanizing multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action, and inclusion”.

Prior to that, Kagame will today take part in a High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage and deliver remarks at the opening of the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

Ahead of the summit which opens today, the Head of State on Sunday chaired the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC), a group of eminent Rwandan and International experts who offer strategic advice and guidance to the President and the Rwandan government at large.

Speaking to the Council, Kagame said that the country was able to make progress despite previously being written off.

"Today, we can say that we have good news in a sense of where the country is. We are not yet there as we all know, but we have made progress. It is still a work in progress,” Kagame said.

The Head of State noted that much of the progress had been achieved from the partnerships, friendships, the hard work and resilience of the people of Rwanda themselves.

This progress, he said is despite existing struggles and challenges across the world which have severally affected growth and progress in most parts of the world.

"Numbers also tell a very good story and they are built on several things. The good news is that there is continued good progress even at a time when the world is also struggling,” Kagame said.

He hailed members of the council for standing by the country even at bleak instances where some people including Rwandan citizens gave up on their country.

"I want to thank you because this story that we have built in and outside Rwanda, we have done it together; and Rwandans are actually happy...There are times when many people gave up on us including our own but those who stayed have carried on. Those who stayed have nothing lacking in the spirit of fighting on,” Kagame told the council.

Every year in September, all the Members of the United Nations General Assembly meeting at its Headquarters in New York for the General Assembly session.

All 193 Member States of the Organization are represented in the General Assembly - one of the six main organs of the UN - to discuss and work together on a wide array of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations, such as development, peace and security and international law among other subjects.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com