President of the UN General Assembly travels to European capitals to push for implementation of the SDGs
17 November
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 17 November 2016 – After engaging in the 22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Peter Thomson, will continue onward to Paris, Monaco, Rome, Vienna and Budapest, from 18 to 28 November, to participate in a series of high-level meetings and official engagements, with the purpose of advancing the meaningful implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and promoting the broader agenda of the General Assembly.
In Paris, President Thomson will hold meetings with the Secretary-General, Secretariat and Members of the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as well as with the Director-General, the Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and other high-level representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In Monaco, the President of the U.N. General Assembly will have official meetings with H.S.H. Prince Albert II and with the Minister of State H.E. Serge Telle, as well as visit the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency – Monaco Environment Laboratories (IAEA-MEL).
In Rome, President Thomson will maintain bilateral meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of the Environment of Italy, the Director-General of the Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO), FAO Senior Management and representatives of Member States, as well as authorities of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO). In the Vatican, he will be received by His Holiness Pope Francis and will engage in bilateral discussions with officials of the Holy See.
In Vienna, the President of the U.N. General Assembly will hold meetings with the Minister of Environment and the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV), as well as representatives of UN Agencies based in the city.
Finally, President Thomson will be travelling to Hungary to address the Budapest Water Summit. While in the Hungarian capital, he will hold meetings with the President of Hungary H.E. János Áder, the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and High-Level Government authorities.
Travel and accommodation expenses for the President of the United Nations General Assembly and accompanying officers will be covered by contributions to the OPGA Trust Fund, in cooperation with the Governments of Monaco and Hungary as well as UN Agencies based in Rome and Vienna.