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25 July 2023, New York, USA – 10 - 18 July 2023 UNITAR Executive Director went on an official visit to New York for UNITAR’s 60th Anniversary celebrations and the High-Level Political Forum. Throughout the one-week visit, Mr Seth attended various events and met with multiple high-level officials.
On Monday, 10 July, Mr Seth spoke at the opening session of the SDG Learning, Training, and Practice Center organized by the UNITAR New York Office for the High-Level Political Forum. The SDG Learning, Training, and Practice Center is a 5-day, 10-session event organized by UNITAR and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) for the High-Level Political Forum and featured multiple speakers and experts from various institutions to speak about each Sustainable Development Goal and how their institutions have contributed to the 2030 SDGs.
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On Tuesday, 11 July, Mr Seth attended the UNITAR 60th-anniversary concert, "Symphony of Solidarity: The Same Language." The event took place on July 11, 2023, at the prestigious and historic Carnegie Hall, and was attended by over 1,000 high-level officials and staff of the United Nations, including H.E. Ambassador Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Ambassador Lachezara Stoeva, President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and permanent representatives of multiple permanent missions.
On Wednesday, 12 July, Mr Seth attended the High-Level Political Forum event entitled “Transformation from the Ground Up Acting at Local Level” in which Mr Seth spoke on the role of the local level towards the full implementation of the SDGs in times of crisis. Afterwards, Mr Seth attended the closing ceremony of the UNITAR 60th Anniversary Photo Exhibition. The closing ceremony was held at Sputnik Hall at the United Nations and, along with Mr Seth, was attended by notable guests: H.E. Ambassador Lachezara Stoeva, President of the Economic and Social Council; Mr. Marco Suazo, Head of UNITAR New York office; and H.E. Ambassador Nadieska Navarro Barro, Permanent Representative of Cuba to the United Nations.
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On Thursday, 13 July, the Executive Director met with Mr Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) and with Mr Haoliang Xu, incoming Under-Secretary-General/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator. The Executive Director spoke about the 60th Anniversary of UNITAR and the continuing collaboration between UNITAR, UNDESA, and UNDP.
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On Friday, 14 July, the Executive Director was asked to speak at the UN Global Water Academy, a project created by the UNITAR, York University, and UN DESA. The Water Academy brought together leading academic institutions and business Executives from the five largest beverage companies worldwide to form a collaborative partnership focused on delivering innovative training and building human capacities on pressing water-related issues at a large scale. The following Monday, 17 July, the Executive Director’s schedule continued with a meeting with Mr. Angel Cabrera, President of Georgia Tech, to talk about a potential collaboration between UNITAR and Georgia Tech; followed by attending the opening meeting of the high-level segment of ECOSOC on sustainable development with UNITAR NYO Head of Office Mr. Marco Suazo, where UN Secretary-General Mr António Guterres delivered opening remarks.
The Executive Director’s last full day on his official trip, 18 July, was packed with meetings; first, with Ms Catherine Pollard, USG for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance; Mr Alexandre Zouev, ASG for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, DPO; and Mr Movses Abelian, USG for General Assembly and Conference Management. The Executive Director discussed UNITAR's 60th anniversary, the SDG Learning, Training, and Practice which UNITAR NYO is hosting for the HLPF, various UNITAR-HLPF activities, and general collaboration between DMSPC, DPO, and DGACM.
With a successful and eventful visit to New York City, the annual official working trip of the Executive Director concluded on 19 July. Notably, this trip held special significance due to the commemoration of UNITAR's 60th Anniversary. The Executive Director now looks forward to returning for the UN General Assembly in September, continuing UNITAR's commitment to advancing global cooperation and sustainable development.
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