Minister Rau takes part in high-level week opening 78th UN General Assembly session
22.09.2023
On 19-22 September 2023, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau accompanied President Andrzej Duda during the general debate opening the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The head of the Polish MFA held a number of bilateral and multilateral meetings and took part in several high-level events. These included a meeting of EU foreign ministers, a ministerial event devoted to the crime of aggression and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as an informal meeting that brought together top diplomats of the Central European Initiative countries. Minister Rau also attended a tripartite meeting of the OSCE Troika and, at the invitation of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, a meeting of foreign ministers of transatlantic states.
The main topics discussed during Minister Rau’s talks with his counterparts and consultations with his partners included the multidimensional crisis resulting from the Russian aggression against Ukraine, Russia’s accountability for its crimes, and the principles of effective multilateralism. The head of the Polish MFA also talked about global solutions promoting peace and international security, human rights, and sustainable development in the context of next year’s Summit of the Future.
The top Polish diplomat pointed out the global consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the humanitarian, food, energy, and financial dimensions. He recalled that the aggression requires a multidimensional and strong response from the international community, and called for enhanced cooperation to hold Moscow accountable for its crimes.
Referring to the main theme of this year’s session, i.e. rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity by accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals, Minister Rau presented Poland’s achievements in this regard and expressed readiness to share our solutions.
While in New York, the head of Polish diplomacy signed two important documents on behalf of Poland. The first is an agreement between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the UN on the establishment of the United Nations Office for Project Services office in Warsaw. The other document is an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.