From 20–26 September 2021, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, together with President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, will take part in the 76th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. Following last year’s event, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the high-ranking representatives of the 193 UN member states will once again be meeting in person this year.
After a year-long break, the happy hour of multilateralism can finally take place again. And it is more important than ever for the UN family to come together in person in New York because the pandemic has only made things worse, fanning the flames of existing geopolitical trends and tensions,
emphasised Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg prior to his departure from Vienna.
The main focus of the Austrian delegation’s participation will therefore be on the current geopolitically dominant crisis in Afghanistan. However, other urgent global challenges, such as the developments in North Africa (including Libya and Tunisia), climate protection, and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, will be addressed in the context of bilateral meetings.
To discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan and their impact on the local population, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will be hosting a roundtable discussion on Tuesday, 21 September. The top priority will be to address protection for women and girls in Afghanistan and in the region. This conference will include representatives from UN aid organisations, the EU, European partner countries such as Greece, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Finland, as well as neighbouring states of Afghanistan.
In the West, we have set clear conditions that must be fulfilled in order for us to be in contact with the Taliban. This will also be a major topic at the UN General Assembly, to make sure that Afghanistan does not become a black hole in terms of security policy,
said Foreign Minister Schallenberg.
In addition, the EU foreign ministers will also hold a special session alongside the UN General Assembly to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
On Wednesday, 22 September, a meeting is planned with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. In addition, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg’s schedule features numerous bilateral meetings with his counterparts, including the foreign ministers of Tajikistan, Iran, Libya, Qatar, Armenia, and Pakistan, as well as with UN High Commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi and Director of the UN World Food Programme David Beasley.
Meetings with the President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder; the Director of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris; and other representatives of Jewish organisations will take place on Thursday, 23 September.
Friday, 24 September will be devoted to promoting the Austrian economy. During a roundtable discussion with Austrian and US entrepreneurs, along with a visit to a start-up, attention will shift to the issues of digitisation and artificial intelligence (AI) through the lens of the recently launched ReFocus Austria initiative.
Finally, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg will give his speech to the UN General Assembly on Friday evening.
