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Foreign Minister Heiko Maas flies to New York for the UN General Assembly
In the coming week, Foreign Minister Maas will be travelling to New York for the UN General Assembly. Today (20 September) he issued the following statement prior to his trip:
Next week the world will be gathering in New York once again. One hundred and ninety‑three states will come together for the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. And that is important. For it is only together – by acting multilaterally – that we can make a difference. Today more than ever before, we face global challenges that we can only overcome by joining forces.
Background information:
Foreign Minister Maas will travel to New York in the coming week (from 24 to 27 September), where he will represent the Federal Government at this year’s 74th session of the UN General Assembly.
On Tuesday the general debate will be opened by the Secretary‑General of the United Nations. The Foreign Minister’s speech is scheduled for Friday.
So‑called side events will take place on the fringes of the general debate, as is the case every year. On Thursday, Germany will be holding a major event on the topic of multilateralism in conjunction with other partners. International cooperation is more important than ever before in order to respond to the urgent issues of our times: whether climate and security, international humanitarian law, disarmament/arms control, cyber security, human rights, equality – only a strong, rules‑based international order can guarantee peace and stability. Multilateral activity is therefore a core principle of German foreign policy and the thematic focus of the Minister’s visit to the coming General Assembly week in New York.
Foreign Minister Maas will attend numerous other events and discussions in connection with current crises. Here, too, the focus will be on our efforts to promote multilateralism.
Minister of State Annen will travel to New York on Monday, where he will attend the meeting of the International Contact Group on Venezuela and an event organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross to mark the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, among others.