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Canada Wraps Up Successful Week at United Nations

September 30, 2013 - Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, along with the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie, the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular), and Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, are returning from New York City after attending a series of high-level discussions on a wide range of global issues during the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from September 23 to 30, 2013.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was also in New York City, from September 24 to 26, where he co-hosted a United Nations event on women’s and children’s health and announced Canadian support in the amount of $203.55 million for nine projects that will help improve the health of women and children in developing countries. In addition, the Prime Minister participated in a moderated discussion on the economy, hosted by the Canadian American Business Council.

While in New York, Baird:

co-hosted a signature event on child, early and forced marriage;
attended the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee Meeting (a donor coordination group for the Palestinian people) to discuss progress in the Middle East peace process and governance capacity building for the Palestinian Authority;
met with Commonwealth members at the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting and the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to express Canada’s concerns regarding human rights in Sri Lanka and the volatile situation in Maldives; and
hosted a luncheon for the Gulf Cooperation Council to discuss the council’s increasing role in promoting global peace and security as well as shared interests in trade and investment.

As part of strengthening bilateral relations, Baird also met with the leaders and foreign ministers of Bulgaria, Egypt, Ireland, Israel, Libya, Peru, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Baird concluded his visit by delivering Canada’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 30.

Minister Paradis attended the ministerial meeting of La Francophonie, as well as the annual meeting of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. He also represented Canada at U.S. President Barack Obama’s event on the protection of civil society and addressed the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as the launch of the Global Health Investment Fund.

While in New York, the Minister held bilateral discussions with foreign leaders and ministers, as well as the heads of key partner organizations, such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Asia Society, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

While returning from New York, Minister Paradis stopped in Montréal to announce the conclusion of negotiations on a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement between Canada and Côte d’Ivoire.

Minister of State Yelich participated in the launch of the Knowledge Gateway for Women’s Economic Empowerment and a meeting on the Millennium Development Goals. The Knowledge Gateway is the result of a commitment made by Canada in 2011 to collaborate with UN Women to establish a global platform for women’s economic empowerment. As part of that commitment, Canada is providing $5 million. The Minister of State also addressed the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on Nuclear Disarmament and delivered remarks at a high-level working meeting on a UN General Assembly resolution on eliminating female genital mutilation. She also delivered remarks at a high-level meeting on the role of education in countering violent extremism.

Parliamentary Secretary Obhrai represented Canada at the Global Counterterrorism Forum—co-hosted by John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, and Ahmet Davutoğlu, Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. In addition, he delivered an address at a high-level meeting on the Sahel. He also represented Canada at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and delivered remarks at a discussion on the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty.

For more information and resources on Canada’s presence at UNGA, please visit Canada Promotes Freedom, Dignity and Security Agenda at United Nations. To view further photos please visit the photo galleries Canada Promotes Freedom, Dignity and Security Agenda at United Nations and General Assembly of the United Nations (2013).

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