Today's Edition
On the second day of the high-level week of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78), the UAE delegation, led by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, held bilateral and multilateral meetings and participated in events focused on strengthening the UAE's network of foreign relations, its active role in the multilateral system, and its contributions to addressing critical regional and global challenges.
In this context, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held bilateral meetings with Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Elmedin Konaković.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed also reviewed bilateral ties with Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kosovo.
Furthermore, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met separately with Giorgos Gerapetritis, Greece's Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Jan Lipavskŷ, Czech Republic's Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Alva Baptiste, St. Lucia's Minister of Foreign Affairs of St. Lucia.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed also participated in a trilateral meeting with His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, to discuss the importance of reaching a sustainable political solution in Yemen.
Reem Al Hashimy, the Minister of State for International Cooperation, represented the UAE at the plenary meeting of the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit "Halfway to 2030", which sought to review and strengthen private sector contributions towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Al Hashimy also met with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Additionally, Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, the UAE's Minister of Climate Change and Environment, met separately with Vincent Van Quickenborne, Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice and the North Sea, and Svenja Schulze, Germany's Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development. Almheiri also participated in a high-level event, "The Nature and People: From Ambition to Action", co-hosted by several countries, the UN, and civil society organisations. At the event, HE Almheiri announced the UAE's endorsement of The Mangrove Breakthrough, an initiative to secure the future of 15 million hectares globally by 2030.
"The UAE recognises the paramount importance of mangroves in combatting climate change and supporting our coastal communities, and we look forward to helping drive real on-the-ground change," Almheiri said, and announced that the UAE will host a Mangroves ministerial meeting on December 9, part of COP28's "Nature, Oceans, and Land Use Day".
Almheiri also participated in an event hosted by France to launch a "Call for Food Security" to foster sustainable and resilient food systems, particularly among the most vulnerable countries. Also today, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State, reiterated the UAE's commitment to deepening its partnerships across the African continent and exploring new areas of cooperation in meetings with Faustin-Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic; Lemogang Kwape, Foreign Minister of Botswana; and Nabil Ammar, Foreign Minister of Tunisia.
His Excellency Ahmed Al Sayegh also participated in a high-level side event on "Global Solidarity with Afghan Women and Girls," hosted by Canada, Indonesia, and Ireland and co-sponsored by the UAE. For his part, HE Al Sayegh underscored the UAE's ongoing commitment to championing the rights of Afghan women and girls and urged key regional and global stakeholders to take a united approach.
"The UAE will continue to work towards fostering a joint international effort that effectively addresses the crises in Afghanistan and sustainably improves the lives and protects the rights of Afghan women and girls," HE Al Sayegh said.
HE Al Sayegh also attended a "Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative" meeting, where he highlighted the UAE's leadership in advancing SDGs and commitment, as COP28 hosts, to accelerate climate action. "The UAE's position as a leading commercial and development hub in the region shows the potential for deploying innovative technologies in diversifying our economies and driving towards sustainability," HE Al Sayegh said.
"[COP28] aims to urgently transform and accelerate climate action, to fulfil the commitments made by the world to reduce impacts of climate change, and increase financing available for the developing world."
