The EU has begun a week of high-level meetings and events in New York alongside the UN General Assembly.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met on Sunday African Union Commission chair Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and UN Secretary-General António Guterres together with European Council President António Costa and the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the Commission informed on Monday.
The talks covered African-led approaches to peace and security, sustainable development and food security.
The EU also pointed to its Global Gateway investment package for Africa worth €150 billion, a programme it says is focused on trade and investment.
Von der Leyen, Costa and Kallas later held an EU-UN principals’ meeting and thanked Guterres for cooperation during his term, including on Ukraine and the Middle East, and for work on the UN80 reforms.
Kallas also co-hosted a ministerial dinner on the Middle East with Qatar’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
Speeches and ministerial side events
Von der Leyen was due to speak at a Summit in Support of Multilateralism at 18:30 EDT on Monday (00:30 CEST).
Several commissioners and senior EU officials were also scheduled to take part in side events and meetings in New York, including on renewable energy, digital cooperation and humanitarian diplomacy.
Kallas and Commissioner Hadja Lahbib were to co-host a ministerial-level event on “Humanitarian Diplomacy that Safeguards International Humanitarian Law” with Ireland, Jordan, Canada, Brazil and the African Union.
International humanitarian law refers to the rules of war intended to limit harm to civilians and others who are not fighting.
Kallas was also set to chair the annual informal meeting of EU foreign ministers, joined by counterparts from Australia, India, Japan and the Republic of Korea, before taking part in a meeting of G7 foreign ministers.
Commissioner Jozef Síkela was due to attend meetings including the Generation Unlimited Global Leadership Council and the Transatlantic Resilient Infrastructure Alliance, and to take part in the launch of the EU’s Global Green Bond Initiative.
Lahbib was scheduled to deliver a keynote address at an event linked to an aid plan by UN humanitarian office OCHA to reach 87 million people with the most severe needs, and to attend a ministerial event on Sudan.
Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra was due to attend a High Ambition Coalition dinner.
