EU at UN General Assembly to boost international cooperation on key global challenges

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

A high-level delegation of the European Commission will attend the 79^th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next week in New York. The focus of EU engagement will be to tackle the unprecedented set of conflicts and crises across the world.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, and Commissioners Stella Kyriakides, Didier Reynders, Ylva Johansson, Janez Lenarčič, Jutta Urpilainen,Kadri Simson and Wopke Hoekstra will host or participate in events and meetings with leaders and counterparts from around the world.

The EU and its Member States are coming to the 79^th UNGA session determined to promote multilateral solutions based on the UN Charter and to make them work for the good of all. This year marks a pivotal reflection point for the UN. As UN Secretary General António Guterres said in April, “We cannot solve 21^st century problems with 20^th century tools.” The headline event, the ‘Summit of the Future,’ which has been under preparation for four years, represents a key opportunity to collectively reflect on how the UN should be fit for purpose and fit for the future.

On Friday and Saturday, 20 and 21 September, Vice-President Dubravka Šuica will co-host and participate in a number of high-level events during the Summit of the Future’s Action Days on empowering youth and building resilience, sustainable development, intergenerational fairness and demography, and on accelerating the Spotlight Initiative’s high-impact effort to end violence against women and girls.

On 21 September, Executive Vice-President Vestager will speak at a high-level roundtable on ‘Laying the Foundations for a Digital Future for All’ and discuss the Global Digital Compact to be agreed at the Summit and its outlining principles and actions to support an open, free and secure digital future for all that upholds human rights and overcomes digital divides.

On Sunday, 22 September, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell and Commissioner Urpilainen, together with President of the European Council Charles Michel, will represent the EU in a trilateral meeting with the African Union and the United Nations and hold bilateral talks with the UN Secretary General Guterres. Commissioner Urpilainen will attend the interactive dialogue of the Summit of the Future ‘Transforming global governance and turbocharging the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development’.

On Tuesday 24 September, President von der Leyen and High Representative/Vice-President Borrell, together with President Michel, will attend the opening session of the General Debate of the 79th UN General Assembly. High Representative Borrell will address the UN Security Council during the High-level meeting on Ukraine. Commissioner Urpilainen will open the ‘The Do’s and Dont’s of Sustainable Supply Chains’ Panel at the Leaders’ Summit of the UN Global Compact.

On Wednesday 25 September, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell will represent the EU at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, hosted by the G20 Brazilian Presidency. Commissioner Hoekstra will deliver a speech on behalf of the EU at the High-level meeting on sea-level rise.

On Thursday, 26 September, President Michel will deliver a speech on behalf of the EU at the General Debate. Commissioner Kyriakides will deliver a speech on behalf of the EU at the High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

EU Flagship events during the week

The EU will host or co-host several flagship events in the margins of the UN General Assembly:

• On Monday, Vice-President Šuica will co-host the EU-AU-UNICEF High-Level event ‘Proven solutions for children: accelerating progress for the SDGs and beyond’, to prioritise, finance, and implement concrete, cost-effective, and evidence-backed policy solutions for every child. Commissioner Johansson will host the High-level side event ‘Leading the way forward: managing migration globally’, bringing together leading global voices on migration and forced displacement and co-sponsored by UNHCR, IOM and UNODC. Commissioner Urpilainen will chair the Global Education Forum, where she will sign a Declaration on School meal Coalition with the World Food Programme.
• On Tuesday, President von der Leyen will co-host the leader-level event ‘Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Working together on industrial growth and decarbonization’, together with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, highlighting the vital role carbon pricing can play in decarbonising industry. Commissioner Urpilainen will speak in the side event ‘Three Years On – Supporting Afghan Women’s Rights’, co-organised with UN Women.
• On Wednesday, High Representative Borrell will co-host a Ministerial meeting on Sudan ‘United for Peace in Sudan’, together with Germany and France. Commissioner Lenarčič will co-host a High-level event on restoring the centrality of International Humanitarian Law in today’s armed conflicts, together with Belgium. He will also co-host a high-level event on Sudan entitled ‘1.5 year into the conflict – how to prevent Sudan from becoming a forgotten crisis?’, together with UN OCHA, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the US.
• On Thursday, High Representative Borrell will co-chair an informal meeting with the EU and CELAC Foreign Ministers. In the afternoon, he will co-chair a Ministerial side event on the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP), together with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the League of Arab States, Egypt and Jordan.
• On Friday, High Representative Borrell will co-chair the 14th Global Counterterrorism Forum Ministerial Plenary Meeting, together with Egypt.

Other High-level events of the week

EU representatives will have a full agenda of high-level debates and side events, as well as numerous bilateral meetings:

• On Sunday, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell will co-host a Ministerial dinner on the Middle East together with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar at the International Peace Institute. Commissioner Kyriakides will attend the Women Political Leaders (WPL) annual Representation Matters Reception on the theme “Charting the Course: Politics in the 21st Century”.
• On Monday, President von der Leyen will deliver a keynote address at the Association of Small Islands States Leaders’ Meeting. High Representative Borrell will participate in the G7+ Foreign Ministers meeting on Ukraine energy infrastructure. In the afternoon, he will chair an informal meeting of EU Foreign Affairs Ministers, with Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East being on top of the agenda. Commissioner Urpilainen will represent the Commission at the informal EU Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meeting.In the evening, High Representative Borrell will participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting. Commissioner Urpilainen will attend the High-Level lunch ‘Women Rise for All’. Commissioner Simson will participate in the Global Renewables Summit, the first high-level public-private summit to discuss the progress, opportunities and challenges of tripling renewable energy globally by 2030. She will deliver opening remarks at the Sustainability Summit. Commissioner Hoekstra will participate in a roundtable organised by the World Economic Forum on mobilising Business for COP impact.
• On Tuesday, President von der Leyen will deliver the opening remarks at the Global Renewables Summit. Commissioner Simson will also participate. High Representative Borrell will participate in a dinner meeting of Transatlantic Foreign Ministers, hosted by the US. Commissioner Kyriakides will speak at side event on Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Antimicrobial Stewardship. She will also attend the Food Waste Champions ‘Champions 12.3′. Commissioner Urpilainen will speak at the side-event ‘Investing in the Future: Unlocking Sustainable Financing for Sexual and Reproductive Health (SHR)’. She will also  meet the Big Six Youth organisations and attend the event on the Lobito Corridor, hosted by the US. Commissioners Simson and Hoekstra will participate respectively in the panel on ‘financing the clean transition’ and in the roundtable on ‘Carbon Markets’ at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum.
• On Wednesday, High Representative Borrell will host the six leaders from the Western Balkans for a traditional working lunch. Commissioner Kyriakides will participate in a side event on fostering cross-country solidarity to address AMR as well as in the High-level meeting “AMR and beyond”, focusing on the EU’s support through the AMR Partnership Platform and the AMR Multi-Partner Trust Fund. She will also attend the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit – The First Ladies Luncheon Roundtable focusing on breast cancer and take part in a fireside chat at the Foreign Policy Health Forum focusing on ‘The Power of Prevention: Universal HPV Vaccination Strategies’. Commissioner Simson will represent the EU at the Ministerial Consultation Meeting on the Plastic Pollution Treaty with Canada and Norway. Commissioner Hoekstra will participate in a high-level panel on Global Solidarity Levies and Financing for Development.
• On Thursday, High Representative Borrell will participate in the UNRWA Ministerial meeting and the Ministerial Meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC). Commissioner Reynders will participate in a side event on stopping the destabilising flow of sensitive technology, organised by Ukraine. Commissioner Simson will participate at the launch event of the Trade and Clean Energy Transition Program, organised by the Center on Global Energy Policy.
• On Friday, High Representative/Vice-President Borrell will speak at the event ‘Navigating Europe’s Challenges’ organised by the Council on Foreign Relations.

For More Information

Against a bleak backdrop of man-made and natural crises, the EU and its Member States will focus on five main priorities: recommitting to the foundations of a rules-based international order; supporting international peace and security; advancing sustainable development and financing for development; addressing the triple planetary crisis; and fostering trust through a more effective multilateral system. Find out more about the EU’s priorities at UNGA 79 here.

Collectively, the EU and its Member States are the single largest financial contributor to the UN system, providing almost a quarter of the UN’s regular budget.

The agenda of the individual EU representatives can be found on their websites.

Press and audio-visual material will be available on EEAS, Europa,  Consilium, the Commission and the AV Portal.

Join the conversation online on X, Instagram and Facebook using #UNGA, #EU and follow @EUatUN and the College members’ accounts for live updates throughout the week.

Factsheet: EU–UN: A partnership that delivers

Factsheet: EU funding to the UN

The EU and the Sustainable Development Goals