UAE affirms support for key allies in meetings at UN General Assembly.

The United Arab Emirates concluded its second day of participation in the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly with a number of high-level meetings with member states that share a common commitment to international peace and security.

Key engagements by UAE officials included: Arab League Ministerial Meeting – Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Meeting with Amb. Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations – Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State Bilateral Meetings with Representatives of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) – Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation Meeting with Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Egyptian Minister of Environment – Dr. Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage – Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development Meeting with David Peyman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions at the US State Department – Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State Generation Unlimited Global Board Meeting – Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash, stressed in discussions held as part of the Arab League Ministerial Meeting upon the need for member states to clearly condemn the recent attack on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He underlined the importance of standing in solidarity with the Kingdom and supporting all action taken against this dangerous escalation.

Gargash also attended the "Shaping Partnerships for a Multi-Conceptual World" event hosted by the World Economic Forum and Brookings Institution to discuss the changing nature of contemporary geopolitics, followed by a meeting with Jan Kubis, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, and EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan Roland Kobia, to discuss regional developments and issues of mutual concern.

For his part, Sultan Al Jaber, met with Amb. Christoph Heusgen, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations, to discuss the two countries’ strategic alliance. Al Jaber underlined the UAE’s support for political initiatives of interest to Germany and reviewed the deep economic and cultural ties binding the two nations.

Al Jaber also met with the State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Markos Tekle, to discuss the UAE’s support for stability in the Horn of Africa.

Reem Al Hashemy, held a number of bilateral meetings with state counterparts and representatives of non-governmental organizations. She met with President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, IRC, David Miliband to discuss the UAE’s pioneering efforts in the humanitarian field. The UAE minister then met with officials from the governments of Ghana, Kiribati, Cabo Verde, and Senegal, wherein she highlighted the country’s provision of development assistance and humanitarian aid to countries in need.

In addition to efforts to support global development, the UAE has pledged at this year’s UNGA to build upon its track record as a champion of renewable energy to support urgent climate action measures with its partners. Al Hashemy also met with officials from Antigua and Barbuda, with whom she discussed recent UAE contributions to restore clean electricity to the island.

The Minister subsequently signed a mutual visa exemption agreement between the UAE and the Republic of Kiribati, which will enter into force on October 23, 2019.

On the sidelines of the UN Climate Action Summit 2019, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, held a number of bilateral meetings with international officials and decision makers, including a meeting with Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Egyptian Minister of Environment.

The two ministers discussed enhancing cooperation between the UAE and Egypt on environmental issues and building upon both countries’ successful experiences.

In line with implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, Hessa Essa Buhumaid, attended the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage. The meeting, titled "Universal Health Coverage: Moving Together to Build a Healthier World," brought together heads of state, policymakers, and universal health coverage champions to negotiate a political declaration on universal health coverage.

Buhumaid followed this event with her participation in the "Primary Health Care Towards Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals" meeting hosted by Kazakh and US representatives.

UAE Minister of State, Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh met with David Peyman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions at the US State Department, to discuss joint efforts to implement counter-terror finance measures and sanctions compliance frameworks to prevent abuse of the global financial system.

The UAE and US have long partnered on efforts to identify and disrupt flows of terror finance through the Joint UAE-US Financial Counterterrorism Task Force, which coordinates information sharing and operations to eliminate terror financing networks.

Al Sayegh also conducted a bilateral meeting with the Foreign Minister of Nepal to review issues of mutual concern.

Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui participated in the Generation Unlimited Global Board meeting, where attendees discussed innovation, digital connectivity, and youth mobilisation. UAE is a strong supporter of this global partnership, which is working to prepare young people to become productive and engaged citizens.