76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Addressing global concerns requires a joint approach
Foreign Minister Liimets
September 23, New York
On Wednesday 22 September, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets and President Kersti Kaljulaid attended the meeting of the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with the Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres. She also took part in an event organised by Denmark and the International Peace Institute think tank and the informal dialogue on the cooperation of the UN and the Arab League.
The meeting with the secretary-general covered the security challenges of our region, as well as Afghanistan and Belarus. They also marked the 30th anniversary of the UN membership of the Baltic States and renewed their invitation to the secretary-general to visit the Baltic States. “I am glad that the secretary-general has put such a great emphasis on the protection of human rights and cybersecurity – both issues are very important to Estonia as a member of the UN Security Council,” Liimets said.
Afghanistan was also addressed at the event organised on Denmark’s initiative on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “It is crucial to have a common international approach when it comes to Afghanistan,” the foreign minister said, adding that the prevention of a migration crisis requires the ensuring humanitarian aid and cooperating with the countries of the region. “We must also make summaries and draw conclusions for an improved planning of our future actions when it comes to crisis hotspots and supporting democratisation.”
At the meeting on the UN and the Arab League, Liimets welcomed efforts to enhance cooperation between the two organisations. “We are facing many regional and global challenges that we can overcome only by joint action,” she said. “Multilateral diplomacy and improving regional dialogue must remain the centre of our cooperation.”
On 23 September, the foreign minister attends an informal meeting of the ministerial network of the International Criminal Court and a high-level discussion focused on the protection of children’s rights in armed conflict during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic’s impact on children must be addressed with regard to both the present and the future,” Minister Liimets said. “We do not know the full extent of the impact of COVID-19 but it has put many people and countries across the world in a very difficult position. This is why COVID-19 is a main topic of the UN General Assembly because we need a common approach and cooperation to recover from the pandemic,” Liimets said.