NEW YORK – Confirming its commitment to multilateralism, the United Arab Emirates outlined nine goals and objectives for its engagement during the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 74), which commenced on September 17, 2019.
Multilateralism is at the core of the UAE’s foreign policy, and its commitment to the UN Charter guides its actions in advancing international peace and security. The UAE promotes a modern and progressive vision for the Middle East built on tolerance, inclusion, and human development.
The UAE will concentrate its efforts on the following nine priorities at the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly:
- Supporting regional stability in the Middle East and North Africa by sharing best practices, exploring new partnerships, and holding states accountable under international law for their support and financing of terrorism.
- Promoting tolerance and interfaith dialogue by sharing its progressive values as a modern Arab and Muslim country governed by strong institutions and evidence-based policymaking.
- Empowering people and alleviating hardship through humanitarian aid and development assistance by shouldering its responsibility to provide humanitarian and development assistance to those in need.
- Mitigating climate change implications by building on the UAE’s track record as a champion of renewable energy and supporting efforts at the UN to adopt climate action measures.
- Helping women succeed by promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, key principles of the UAE’s foreign policy and foreign assistance strategy.
- Promoting the inclusion of youth in society by forming a genuine partnership with the world’s youth by including them in global decision-making;
- Making the UN fit for purpose by enhancing the institution’s effectiveness and efficiency at delivering on its core mandates of peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development for all.
- Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals by supporting best practices on data collection to measure progress and encouraging partnerships.
- Leading the way on digital cooperation by supporting the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation and its recommendations.
Later this month, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will lead the UAE’s delegation to the General Debate of the UN General Assembly. He will address the General Assembly on 28 September. The UAE delegation—which consists of Ministers and other senior officials that oversee a diverse range of portfolios from peace and security, to climate action, women and youth, frontier technologies, and sustainable development—will be engaging with member states, UN officials, and other stakeholders. The General Debate of the UN General Assembly is a week-long annual gathering of world leaders featuring a series of critical meetings addressing global challenges.