Armed conflicts around the world are of great concern and require the full attention of the Security Council

At the beginning of the Security Council’s discussion of Ukraine, the President of the Republic reiterated that Slovenia strongly condemned the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and fully supported the efforts of the UN General Assembly to end Russia’s invasion and for the withdrawal of all military forces from Ukraine. She also called attention to the many other armed conflicts around the world: "In 2022, the global death toll resulting from wars increased by 97%. It was the deadliest year in nearly 30 years. While Russia’s aggression against Ukraine contributed substantially to this increase, it was not the only one. It was one of 55 active armed conflicts recorded in 2022, most of them taking place outside Europe. All these conflicts, including the aggression against Ukraine, are of great concern and require the full attention of the Security Council."

President Pirc Musar also attended the UNGA Platform of Women Leaders meeting entitled "Accelerating action on Sustainable Development Goal 5 towards peace, prosperity, progress and the sustainability for all". In her address, she emphasised the importance of a greater presence of women in UN institutions: "If we are serious about achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5, there is no better place to start but right here, within our United Nations family. It is time for the General Assembly leadership to alternate each year between a woman and a man."

As the President of the Republic stressed in yesterday’s address to the Heads of State gathered at the session of the UN General Assembly, climate change is our greatest challenge, and addressing it is one of the five key aims of her presidential term. In pursuit of this aim, President Pirc Musar and her Austrian counterpart, Alexander Van der Bellen, today met with the President of COP28, Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology. "This year’s Climate Change Conference should be more than just a moment of reflection. The world is expecting us, and particularly the G20, to take swift and decisive action. We must strive for concrete plans to reduce emissions and ensure adequate funding and tangible goals when it comes to renewable energy sources," she said after the meeting.

The President today also attended bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Andorra, Xavier Espot Zamora, and the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Phạm Minh Chính, as well as a reception on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Czech Republic’s and Slovakia’s UN membership, hosted by the President of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová, and the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel. Tomorrow, the President will attend bilateral meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Presidents of South Korea, South Sudan, Sierra Leone and Mongolia. In conclusion of her participation in the 78th UN General Assembly, she will address the guests at a reception hosted by the Slovenian Embassy in the United States.