On Friday 25 September, at a video meeting of the Alliance for Multilateralism headed by France and Germany, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that increasing the resilience of societies requires closing digital gaps as soon as possible.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the week of high-level events of the 75th General Assembly of the UN, and this time, the focus was on recovering from the health crisis, especially on issues of digitalisation, healthcare, climate change and gender equality.
74 states from across the globe took part in the meeting. As one of the main speakers in the section dedicated to digital and cyber topics, Foreign Minister Reinsalu invited countries to join the Global Declaration on the Digital Response to COVID-19, which was initiated by Estonia and Singapore and which nearly 70 countries have joined. Foreign Minister Reinsalu also said that to continue on this course, Estonia and the United Arab Emirates are organising a joint Global Business Summit in December with the aim of bringing together representatives of the public and private sector and offering them a chance to present innovative digital solutions.
The foreign minister said that in addition to digitalisation, we should not forget cyber stability. “As early as 2013, the United Nations member states agreed that the existing international law applies in cyberspace,” Reinsalu said, adding that there was an urgent need to ensure the best possible protection for the critical infrastructure of our healthcare facilities and hospitals.
The foreign minister also attended an event of the International Religious Freedom Alliance. Estonia considers the protection of religious freedom an issue of human rights protection, which goes hand in hand with the freedom of thought and expression.
Reinsalu pointed out that in the framework of the International Religious Freedom Alliance, established by the United States, Estonia has condemned the refusal of Belarus to grant entry to Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, a citizen of Belarus, the Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev and the Head of the Roman Catholic Church in Belarus. In addition, the authorities of Belarus are pressuring religious organisations they suspect of supporting the opposition.
The foreign minister also expressed deep concern over the situation of the Rohingya, Uyghurs and Crimean Tatars.
The opening event of the Alliance for Multilateralism was held last year during the high-level week of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Its members include over 50 UN member states. The International Religious Freedom Alliance currently has 31 member states, including Estonia.
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmQZ3XzE
Additional information:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
[email protected]