UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 143 heads of state and government have been confirmed to speak at the forthcoming General Debate of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 74).

"As of Wednesday of this week, 196 individuals are scheduled to speak at the General Assembly," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Friday at a regular news briefing.

The spokesman said that among the speakers are 97 heads of state, five vice presidents, 46 heads of government, five deputy prime ministers, 38 ministers, two chairs of delegation and three observers, citing the figures from the General Assembly and Conference Services.

"As of today, the secretary-general is expected to have about 140 bilateral meetings and participate in 52 separate events," said Dujarric.

"A total of 560 official meetings have so far been requested, and this does not begin to include bilateral meetings between representatives of member states," he said.

UNGA 74 will open on Sept. 17. The first day of the high-level General Debate will be Sept. 24 and the debate will run until Sept. 30.