Rome: President of the UN General Assembly attends the launch of the “Laudato Si’ Challenge” inspired by Pope Francis at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 5 May 2017 – As part of his mission to push for momentum on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, today attended the second ‘Right Now!’ Conference launching the “Laudato Si’ Challenge” inspired by Pope Francis. As a global initiative to support start-ups in developing breakthrough enterprise solutions to climate change and involuntary migration, the challenge is closely aligned with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The launch of the challenge was held at the Pontifical Academy of Science at the Vatican. Speaking at the launch, President Thomson said, “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the challenges set out in the Laudato Si’ encyclical, demands nothing short of a global transformation. At the United Nations we believe as you do, that unleashing the power of innovation, technology and collaboration will produce the dividends, we desire: universal peace, justice for all and environmental sustainability”.
While at the Vatican, President Thomson met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, to discuss matters related to climate change and the implementation of the SDGs. Among other things, the President highlighted the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation in achieving the global transformation needed to create a sustainable future for all.
During the afternoon, the President visited the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization, where he met with Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva, to discuss FAO’s work in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals and Climate Change. Their discussions covered preparations for The Ocean Conference to be held at the UN in New York on 5-9 June, at which FAO will play a prominent role. President Thomson thanked the Director-General for FAO’s strong commitment to the conference and the implementation of SDG14, the Ocean’s Goal, including on such issues as marine and coastal ecosystems, IUU fishing, food security and fisheries subsidies.
****
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT:
Daniel Thomas, Communications Director & Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, T: +1 917 225 1913| E: daniel.thomas@un.org
Naomi Parekh, Communications Advisor for the President of the General Assembly, T: + 1 917 436 0214| E: parekh1@un.org