NEW YORK, 23rd September, 2023 (WAM) — His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, hosted a reception at the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations on the third day of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). The reception, held in the presence of world leaders and foreign ministers, and leaders from business and other sectors, and attended by the UAE delegation, focused on the theme of delivering on global climate progress at COP28, which will be held in the UAE in November at Expo City Dubai.
In addition, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Aidrous Al Zubaidi, Deputy Head of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council, to discuss the developments in the Yemeni crisis and the United Nations' efforts to reach a sustainable political settlement leading to comprehensive peace in Yemen.
H.H. also met separately with several Foreign Ministers participating in UNGA 78, to discuss bilateral cooperation in various fields, including economic, trade, investment, cultural, education, agriculture, technology, food security and renewable energy.
His Highness also met with Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Djibouti; Arnoldo Ricardo André Tinoco, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica; Ignazio Cassis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland; Eli Cohen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel; Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia; Ian Borg, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade of Malta; Elina Valtonen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland; Mariya Gabriel, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria; and Zheenbek Kulubaev, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan.
For his part, Dr. Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, spoke at the Middle East Global Summit hosted by Al-Monitor and Semafor. On the sidelines of UNGA, Dr. Gargash also met with Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria; and Dr. Comfort Ero, President and CEO of Crisis Group.
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, participated in a stakeout alongside the 10 fellow elected members of the UN Security Council. In addition, met with Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction; Laura Frigenti, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education; and James Mwangi, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Equity Group Holdings.
Furthermore, during the third day, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, Minister of State, discussed the enduring partnership between the UAE and Africa with several leaders from the continent, including His Majesty King Mswati III of Eswatini and Hage Gottfried Geingob, President of Namibia. Also, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan met with Yvette Sylla, Foreign Minister of Madagascar; Dhoihir Dhoulkamal, Foreign Minister of Comoros; and Dr. Peter Mathuki, Secretary General of the East African Community.
Together with Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBR Initiatives) and their international partners, the World Food Programme (WFP) and Southern African Development Community (SADC), to further expand the Digital School program in Africa.
For his part, Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of State, participated in the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Governance Group (3G) hosted by Singapore. In his intervention, Al Sayegh praised the group’s efforts to promote a sustainable future for all and promote inclusiveness that is in line with the ambitions of COP28.
Al Sayegh also participated in the 18th ministerial meeting of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue, which was chaired by the Kingdom of Bahrain. The meeting focused on ensuring the provision of sustainable solutions after the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving a global recovery from the pandemic.
In his intervention, Al Sayegh stressed the importance of multilateral work to find sustainable solutions that address common global challenges, reiterating the UAE’s commitment to enhancing constructive cooperation with relevant partners around the world.
Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, accompanied by Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for International Development Affairs, and Mr. Abdulrahman Ali Al Neyadi, Director of Policy Planning at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented the UAE at the UNGA side event on “The Cost of Inaction in Sudan – Working together in support of the Humanitarian Situation in Sudan and the Region”.
In his intervention, Al Marar stressed the importance of international coordination and cooperation to deliver humanitarian aid without obstacles, to bring about the required changes on the ground in Sudan and the entire region, and the need to consider new partnerships to achieve that goal. Al Marar said: “Ending the humanitarian crisis in Sudan in a sustainable manner requires reaching an immediate and permanent ceasefire, and resuming dialogue in an effort to return to the political process. The UAE will remain supportive of regional and international mediation efforts to reach a permanent settlement to this crisis.”
Al Marar also participated in the 13th ministerial meeting of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum.
In his intervention, Al Marar stressed the UAE’s hope that combating terrorism will top the international community’s priorities, stressing the importance of strengthening collective action to confront this issue. He expressed the importance of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2686 on tolerance and international peace and security, which was adopted in June, and to take concrete steps in that direction.