From 25 to 27 September 2015, Luxembourg Prime Minister, Minister of State, Xavier Bettel, will be in New York to attend the 2015 United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development as a representative of the Grand Duchy.
The Prime Minister will participate in the Summit, along with Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, Romain Schneider, and Minister of the Environment, Carole Dieschbourg.
Heads of State and Government will assemble under the auspices of the Summit with a view to adopting 17 sustainable development goals to end poverty, promote prosperity and wellbeing for all, protect the environment and address climate change.
The agenda, entitled 'Transforming our world, agenda of sustainable development for 2030' is pervasive in nature due to its application to both developed and developing countries and aims to pave the way for a global, all-inclusive development paradigm for the next fifteen years.
Prime Minister Bettel will speak on Sunday 27 September 2015 in order to present Luxembourg's position on the 2030 Programme on Sustainable Development.
The agreement on the sustainable development goals will mark an important step in the path towards a successful Paris conference on climate change, to be held this December under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Prime Minister will participate in a roundtable dedicated to the protection of our planet and the fight against climate change, and has been invited to a lunch devoted to climate change with the Secretary General of the UN and the Peruvian and French Presidents.
On 29 and 30 September 2015, Environment Minister Carole Dieschbourg will participate in the 'Major Economics Forum' on climate change, which will be comprised of 17 of the largest global emitters of greenhouse gases, of which the EU is one.
For his part, the Minister of Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, Romain Schneider, will attend a meeting of EU Development Ministers as well as meetings with the European Confederation of Relief and Development NGOs (Concord), the Luxembourg Cooperation Circle of Development NGOs and members of the European Parliament's Development Committee.
Minister Schneider is also due to meet with the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, as well as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O'Brien, with whom he will take stock of preparations for the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016.
On Saturday 26 September 2015, the Minister will also sign an Indicative Cooperation Programme with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Niger, Aïchatou Kané.
On Monday 28 September 2015, the three political figures of Luxembourg will also attend the opening of the general debate of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly. At the invitation of US President Barack Obama, the Prime Minister will attend the Leaders' Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism.
Finally, on the sidelines of the UN meetings, Xavier Bettel will meet several Heads of State and Government in order to take stock of bilateral relations and to discuss the major issues on the international agenda. The Prime Minister will use his time in New York to also follow up on previous meetings with representatives from the business world and meet with the Luxembourg community in New York.
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