- Energy and Climate
- Health
- UNGA
Africa-Europe Foundation at the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly
- The Africa-Europe Foundation
The 78th Session of the UN General Assembly will be taking place in New York City this September 2023. The theme for the session was announced by UNGA78 President-elect, H.E. Dennis Francis, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN:
‘Rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: Accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all’.
Within this context, on 18-19 September, the SDG Summit will mark the midterm review of the state of the global goals, delivering guidance on the accelerated actions needed to implement Agenda 2030. This represents a key opportunity for the Africa-Europe Foundation (AEF) to contribute to wider development conversations by bringing into focus the untapped opportunities within the cross-continental partnership meet critical targets.
As such, AEF will drive the upcoming conversation at UNGA78 towards the climate-health nexus, focusing on the role of commitment monitoring and global governance reform to further implementation and finance. These focus areas stem from the outcomes of our strategic dialogues with Africa-Europe stakeholders over the course of the first half of the 2023 multilateral agenda: from the Ibrahim Governance Weekend to the Paris Summit on a New Global Financing Pact and the most recent Africa Climate Summit.
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AEF Programme at a Glance
The Africa-Europe Foundation’s proposed programme focuses on both public and closed-door strategic dialogues dedicated to areas of cooperation that hold promise for enhanced Africa-Europe cooperation:
- Download the detailed agenda here.
Climate and Health in the Redesign of the International Financial System
18 September 2023, 7:30-9:30am, Permanent Mission of Ireland to the UN (invite-only)
This in-person meeting of AEF’s Women Leaders Network (WLN) will take stock of the 2023 dialogues on the redesign of the international financial system through the lens of the climate-health nexus. Co-chaired by Mary Robinson and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the meeting follows the Nairobi WLN meeting at the Ibrahim Governance Weekend 2023 (April) focused on global governance and financial reforms. Participants will consider actionable recommendations for advancing a holistic approach to climate and health at the UN Climate Change Conference 2023 (COP28) in November.
Special guests and WLN members confirmed to contribute to the high-level opening panel include United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva and Director General of the World Trade Organization Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Commentary will be provided by Climate Justice Activist Vanessa Nakate.
Time to Adapt: Accelerating Climate Adaptation for Health Equity
20 September 2023, 9am-10am EST, Studio Gather Rockefeller Center (hybrid, public)
This strategic dialogue, done in partnership with Fondation S and Foreign Policy, aims to address the impact climate change has on global health. Participants will dive into the climate-health nexus from the point of view of boosting climate adaptation capacity and finance to ensure health equity in vulnerable communities.
It is an opportunity to bring together key voices and mobilize an Africa-Europe “coalition of the willing” to foster collective action and advance adaptation commitments in advance of COP28. The event will also welcome the launch of the Collective Minds Climate Council’s Action Report - Forging a New Deal for the Climate and Health Emergency: Catalyzing Solutions for Community Adaptation - a call to action to empower local communities in their adaptation efforts.
- Registration to the event is available here.
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