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The UAE Mission to the UN and the visiting UAE delegation advanced critical issues on the global agenda during UN General Assembly Ministerial Week this fall, as the UN celebrated its 70th anniversary and adopted ambitious new targets for achieving its global mandate. The UAE delegation consisted of five cabinet members and their teams. Ministers from capital had more than 100 bilateral meetings in total and hosted numerous multilateral events.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the UAE, held many formal and informal meetings with heads of state, foreign ministers, world leaders, and senior UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. HH Sheikh Abdullah spoke at the Countering Violent Extremism Summit organized by the United States on 29 September 2015. In his address to the General Assembly  on 2 October 2015, HH Sheikh Abdullah spoke about political, economic, environmental, and security issues facing both the region and the international community.

HH Sheikh Abdullah also hosted the UAE’s reception on the occasion of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly . Held at the Morgan Library, the celebration highlighted the close partnership between the UAE and the United Nations in humanitarian aid, economic development, industrialization and telecommunications.

Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna al Qasimi, UAE Minister for International Cooperation and Development, spoke at the Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda on 25-27 September. HE Sheikha Lubna also met with leaders of aid agencies to discuss the humanitarian crises around the world, especially in the Middle East, as well as the UAE’s humanitarian efforts. Meetings were held with Gates Foundation Co-chair Melinda Gates, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, and International Committee of the Red Cross President Peter Maurer. HE Sheikha Lubna also hosted a high-level Ministerial Breakfast on mobilizing resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. While in New York, HH Sheikha Lubna received the Clinton Foundation’s 2015 Global Citizens Award for her leadership in public service.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Her Excellency Reem al Hashimy, represented the UAE at a high-level summit on Somalia, as well as at a number of ministerial events convened by the Gulf Cooperation Council and its partners. HE Reem al Hashimy also co-hosted “Women, Peace and Security in the post-2015 Development Agenda” with ministers from Italy, Kenya, Namibia, Spain, and Thailand. In addition, she co-hosted a ministerial breakfast with Tuvalu, “Managing Climate Change in Small Island Developing States.”

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber focused his engagements during Ministerial Week on climate change, energy, and Arab regional security. In a key meeting ahead of COP21 in Paris, Dr. Sultan hosted ministers and private sector executives from major emitting countries to exchange plans on mitigation and on harnessing the enormous potential of renewable energy. At a panel discussion and reception with key stakeholders in the energy sector, HE Sultan al Jaber launched the Advisory Council of Masdar’s Women in Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy (WiSER) initiative.

His Excellency Abdullah Ghobash, UAE Minister of State, participated in several key bilateral and multilateral events. HE Abdullah Ghobash delivered the UAE’s intervention at the United Nations Security Council debate on countering the terrorist threat in the region and the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa.

The opening of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly gave the delegation an opportunity to promote the UAE’s policy priorities in both the bilateral and multilateral fora, as well as engage with UN leadership on a range of matters affecting the region and beyond.