The Secretary General Ambassador Dato’ Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari visited New York on the 17th -18th of September 2019 to attend the opening of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, as the D-8 has the observer status in the GA meetings. The Secretary General performed various activities during the visit, including an official meeting with H. E Mrs. Amina Mohammed the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations to discuss opportunities of establishing a partnership and a framework of cooperation between the D-8 Organization from one side and the UN and its relevant bodies from the other side. On the sideline of the meetings at the UNGA, the Secretary General invited the Permanent Representatives of the D-8 member states in New York for a working lunch to discuss future activities.

Attending the opening of the UNGA 74th session on the 17th of September, the D-8 delegate took notes of the priorities areas of activities set forth by the president of the UN General Assembly Mohammed Bande during his speech. He stressed the priority of addressing the drivers of conflicts such as poverty, exclusion and illiteracy and he listed other areas of priority as climate change, quality education, human rights, gender parity, poverty reduction, zero hunger and inclusion. On his part, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres commended the priorities set forth by the GA president as they are central to the sustainable Development Goals; pointing out that by 2020 we are entering a decade of action on the sustainable Development Goals. He added that this year will witness five crucial summits on climate action, the sustainable development Goals, financing for development, universal health care and small Island Developing States. The D-8 plans to design a framework of partnership and cooperation with the UN and its relevant bodies based on these priorities set by President of the General Assembly.

In his meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Ambassador Ku Jaafar briefed her on the D-8 activities and projects in various areas, and he highlighted the D-8 endeavors to streamline its activities with the UN sustainable Development Goals, he stressed the D-8 aspirations for establishing a framework of cooperation and partnership with the UN and its relevant bodies. H. E Deputy Secretary General Mrs. Amina Mohamed highly valued the D-8 efforts to streamline its activities with the UNSDGs, she assured her support to the D-8 activities and its future plans to establish partnership with the UN, especially that the D-8 Organization encompasses the most important developing countries and emerging economies of the global south, and it covers an expanded geographical area with countries of various stages of development. She expressed her interest to work with the D-8 towards realizing the UNSDGs with focus on peace education, women economic empowerment, digital financial technology, poverty reduction and climate change. She invited the D-8 secretariat to participate in the various summits and meetings dealing with SDGs and relevant issues; that will take place in the UN along the year and in the next year, in order to get updated with the recent developments in the issues and activities related to the UNSDGs. It was agreed that the D-8 Secretariat will provide the UN Deputy Secretary General’s office at the soonest with a detailed plan of action highlighting the D-8 activities and future cooperation, as a step towards setting a framework of cooperation in areas of mutual interests to both organizations.

The Secretary General invited the D-8 member states’ Permanent representatives to the UN to a working lunch at the UN premises; where he briefed them on the D8- activities and plans for future cooperation. He proposed to establish an informal contact group of the PRs to assist the D-8 secretariat in carrying out activities related to the UN and its relevant bodies. The PRs re-emphasized their commitment to assisting the D-8 and its endeavors to promote its activities in the global arena and to seek partnership with the UN. It was agreed that the Turkish Permanent Representative will take charge of coordinating with other Permanent Representatives to establish this group.

The Secretary General paid a courtesy visit to H. E the permanent representative of Malaysia to the UN, where he briefed him on the recent D-8 activities and co-operation projects and he asked for his advice regarding future cooperation and partnership with the UN, the Malaysian ambassador reassured his commitment to assist the D-8 in its endeavors and activities related to the UN.