UAE delegation to UN's High—Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development concludes successful visit

The UAE delegation to the 2022 High—Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), which took place at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York, have concluded their visit that culminated in several meetings and agreements with participating delegations from various countries, as well as with US government and semi—governmental entities.

During the forum, the UAE delegation presented the second edition of the UAE's National Voluntary Review Report.

Abdullah Nasser Lootah, head of the UAE delegation, showcased to participating delegations a number of programmes and initiatives launched by the UAE Government to improve government performance and develop services provided to the public.

At the forum, Lootah met with Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary—General, and discussed the UAE Government's efforts to share its experiences with other countries through its Government Experience Exchange Programme, which offers insights into the country's experience and best practices in the field of government development and modernisation, as well as in digitising government services. The UN Deputy Secretary—General commended the UAE's contributions offered through the exchange programme, and the diverse information it provides across policies and strategies, government performance, the Global Star Rating System for Services, and government excellence, among several other areas.

During their meeting, Lootah highlighted the UAE's openness to the world, and its belief in the importance of developing global partnerships that support peace and prosperity worldwide, in line with the vision of PresidentHis Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The UAE delegation also met with Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary, Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Reform, where they held fruitful talks on ways to enhance UAE—Pakistan cooperation.

Moreover, the Emirati delegation shed light on the Digital School, the first integrated Arabic digital school and one of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), given the global attention that the school is capturing. In that context, the delegation signed an agreement with the University of Arizona to cooperate in achieving the school's goal of providing digital education to underprivileged communities around the world.

For her part, Sara Al Nuaimi, Director of the MBRGI Office, gave a detailed presentation on MBRGI's achievements and various programmes, which have touched the lives of over 91 million people across 97 countries in 2021. These include projects in education as well as providing food, health and technological support.

The delegation also held a series of bilateral meetings and talks with many delegations participating in the forum. These included the Swiss delegation, headed by State Secretary Jacques Ducrest, Delegate of the Federal Council for the 2030 Agenda, the Greek delegation, headed by Akis Skertsos, Greek Minister of State for Government Coordination, as well as delegations from Montenegro, Bahrain and other participating countries. During the meetings, the Emirati delegation discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the UAE and those countries in achieving sustainable development goals, promoting knowledge exchange, and mechanisms to develop and improve strategic partnerships.

Furthermore, the visit included several events and meetings on the sidelines of the forum.

WAM/Amjad Saleh