UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK - Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to announce Tuesday afternoon that new donors have stepped up to help with his signature G8 initiative to improve child and maternal health in developing countries around the world.

Harper was also expected to tell a meeting of world leaders on Libya that Canada will see the NATO-led military mission in the North African country through to its end and that Canada will help Libya's new leaders build a democracy.

Harper's schedule for his day at the UN's fall general assembly meeting is jam-packed with group meetings and one-on-ones with world leaders. He started the day, his aides said, by encouraging UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to continue reforming the international organization to make it more transparent and accountable.

He followed that up with a one-on-one with Kamalesh Sharma, the secretary general of the Commonwealth. Harper will travel to Australia later this fall for the bi-annual Commonwealth Heads of Government summit.

Harper also met with other world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and Libya's interim leader Mustaf Abdil Jalil, to discuss Libya's future.

"For Libya, this is a historic day," Ban Ki-Moon said. "The United Nations will support you in every way we can."

Canada has pledged fighter jets and other military assets to help with the NATO-led military mission in Libya. Harper earlier sought Parliament's approval to keep Canadian forces there until Sept. 27. He is widely expected to seek Parliament's approval next week for an extension of the mission.

Later on Tuesday, Harper is expected to participate in a panel discussion on child and maternal health.

As part of the 2008 G8 Summit in Muskoka, Ont., the federal government pledged $2.85 billion to be spent over five years for a global child and maternal health initiative.

Harper has also been leading an effort to get other countries to commit funds to the initiative.