UN General Assembly, New York, 20-24 September 2021, 20-24 September 2021

Main results

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, addressed world leaders on behalf of the EU at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 24 September.

• Speech by President Charles Michel at the UN General Assembly

President Michel warned that the world was facing a turning point in human history.

What world do we want for tomorrow? We want a world inspired by reason. [...] We want a fairer and a safer world. Cooperation rather than confrontation. Solidarity rather than isolation. Transparency not secrecy. President Michel at the 76th UN General Assembly

In light of the increasingly disastrous effects of climate change, President Michel said that humans had been waging war against nature, and that nature was fighting back.

No one can say: “I didn’t know”. [...] It is time to stop waging war against our natural world. It is time for humans to sign an armistice with nature. A peace treaty with our planet. President Michel at the 76th UN General Assembly

President Michel stressed that the EU had taken a leading role in upholding the Paris Agreement, being the first bloc that decided to become climate-neutral by 2050 and increasing its targets for 2030.

President Michel also emphasised the EU's role as the leading sponsor of peace and sustainable development.

Peace is much more than the absence of war. [...] It is sustained by the mutual connections between our societies. The more interests we share, the less we come into conflict. […] Peace is fostered by regional or continental integration projects, and by major partnerships between these new integrated areas. Whether they be in Latin America and the Caribbean, in Asia…or Africa. President Michel at the 76th UN General Assembly

President Michel said the EU was developing its strategic autonomy in order to be less dependent and to strengthen its positive influence in the world, as well as to consolidate the Atlantic alliance.

Our Atlantic alliance is anchored in our democratic values and an unshakeable pillar of our security and stability in the world. Stronger allies make for a stronger alliance, underpinned by transparency and loyalty. President Michel at the 76th UN General Assembly

In view of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, President Michel urged world leaders to ensure that the global community would be more resilient and better prepared for future pandemics through an international treaty on pandemics.

This pandemic has led us back to the essential: life and human dignity. To safeguard these, we have taken exceptional measures. […] But overcoming this pandemic is not enough. We need to prevent the next pandemics and build global resilience. To this end, with Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, we have proposed an international treaty on pandemics. President Michel at the 76th UN General Assembly

Programme

Informal Leaders' Roundtable on Climate

President Michel participated in this UN Trusteeship Council event alongside Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

• Climate change: what the EU is doing (background information)

Meeting with UN Secretary-General

President Michel, President von der Leyen and EU High Representative Josep Borrell met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at UN headquarters.

High-level event on 'Women in Conflicts'

Powerful testimonies from women survivors, activists, and interventions from world leaders – the high-level event co-hosted by President Charles Michel and the United Nations highlighted the urgent need to ensure the rights of women and girls and their full participation in shaping peace and reconciliation.

• 'Women in Conflicts': a call to action to the global community

UN General Assembly address by President Michel

The European Council President addressed world leaders on behalf of the EU.

• Speech by President Charles Michel at the UN General Assembly

Bilateral meetings

In the margins of the UN General Assembly, President Michel met with leaders from around the world. He had bilateral meetings with:

• Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison
• President of Colombia Iván Duque Márquez
• President of Zambia Hakainde Hichilema
• President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan
• President of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc
• Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya, Mohamed al-Menfi
• President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier

EU priorities at the 76th UN General Assembly

The EU and its member states will continue to promote effective multilateralism by bringing global actors together towards common global solutions.

The EU will continue to contribute to the effective implementation of the UN reforms, working together towards a UN that is fit for purpose, and for the global challenges and geopolitics of the 21st century.

Key EU priorities for the coming year include:

• building back better after the COVID-19 pandemic
• making the world safer and promoting peace, security and human rights
• winning the race against climate change and repairing the relationship with nature
• shaping the global digital agenda

The EU also suggests establishing a regular EU-UN summit to reinforce its strong and dynamic partnership with the UN.

• EU priorities at the United Nations during the 76th United Nations General Assembly, September 2021 - September 2022 - Council conclusions
• EU priorities at the 76th United Nations General Assembly (press release)

See also

• UN General Assembly, New York, 23-26 September 2019
• The EU at the UN General Assembly (background information)
• EU delegation to the UN in New York (EEAS)
• The UN mission in Brussels
• UN Trusteeship Council