European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, and Commissioners Stella Kyriakides, Didier Reynders, Ylva Johansson, Janez Lenarčič, Jutta Urpilainen, Kadri Simson, and Wopke Hoekstra will host or participate in events and meetings with leaders and counterparts from around the world during the UN General Assembly.
The EU and its Member States are coming to the 79th UNGA session to promote multilateral solutions based on the UN Charter and make them work for all good. This year marks a pivotal reflection point for the UN. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in April, “We cannot solve 21st-century problems with 20th-century tools.” The headline event, the ‘Summit of the Future,’ which has been under preparation for four years, represents a pivotal opportunity to collectively reflect on how the UN should be fit for purpose and the future.
On Friday and Saturday, 20 and 21 September, Vice-President Dubravka Šuica will co-host and participate in several high-level events during the Summit of the Future’s Action Days. The events will focus on empowering youth, building resilience, sustainable development, intergenerational fairness and demography, and accelerating the Spotlight Initiative’s high-impact effort to end violence against women and girls.
On 21 September, Executive Vice-President Vestager will speak at a high-level roundtable on ‘Laying the Foundations for a Digital Future for All’ and discuss the Global Digital Compact to be agreed upon at the Summit. The discussion will outline principles and actions to support an open, accessible, and secure digital future for all, upholding human rights and overcoming digital divides.
On Sunday, 22 September, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell, Commissioner Urpilainen, and President of the European Council Charles Michel will represent the EU in a trilateral meeting with the African Union and the United Nations. They will also hold bilateral talks with the UN Secretary-General Guterres. Commissioner Urpilainen will attend the interactive dialogue of the Summit of the Future, titled ‘Transforming global governance and turbocharging the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’.
On Tuesday, 24 September, President von der Leyen, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell, and President Michel will attend the opening session of the General Debate of the 79th UN General Assembly. High Representative Borrell will address the UN Security Council during the High-level meeting on Ukraine. Commissioner Urpilainen will open the ‘The Do’s and Dont’s of Sustainable Supply Chains’ Panel at the Leaders’ Summit of the UN Global Compact.
On Wednesday, 25 September, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell will represent the EU at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting hosted by the G20 Brazilian Presidency. Commissioner Hoekstra will deliver a speech on behalf of the EU at the High-level meeting on sea-level rise.
On Thursday, 26 September, President Michel will deliver a speech on behalf of the EU at the General Debate. Commissioner Kyriakides will deliver a speech on behalf of the EU at the High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
