President of the General Assembly concludes a visit to Azerbaijan

In his speech to the Summit, Mr. Muhammad-Bande said that both the UN and NAM have a common objective to achieve international Peace and Security.

He added that the common ideals between the two organizations include respect of fundamental human rights, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.

He said that NAM must continue to be a voice of reason and moderation, and must never fail to work, within the framework of the UN Charter, for peace, stability, human progress and justice, even when it seems difficult.

During the visit, the President of the General Assembly met with the President of Azerbaijan H.E. Ilham Aliyev. They discussed issues raised at the NAM Summit including cooperation between the movement and the UN and the role played by Azerbaijan to promote shared values.

Mr. Muhammad-Bande commended Azerbaijan’s efforts in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

The President of the General Assembly also held bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Pakistan and Venezuela and the Foreign Minister of Cuba.

The discussions focused on issues of mutual interest, including multilateralism, sustainable development and peace and security.

On the eve of the Summit, the President of the General Assembly commemorated UN Day on October 24 by delivering a keynote address in an event organized by the UN Office in Azerbaijan at ADA University (Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy).

In his address, Mr. Muhammad-Bande said that “we need the UN and multilateralism more than ever, due to the rise in global challenges.”

He called on all stakeholders to join efforts to face the growing attacks on the UN and continue to mobilize around the ideals of multilateralism and the United Nations.

During the visit, that started on 23 October, Mr. Muhammad-Bande visited Khazar women resource centre, which is a joint initiative by the Government of Azerbaijan, UNDP and UN Women.

He met women entrepreneurs who spoke about their experiences and success stories and how they benefitted from the support of the centre.

He praised the work of the women resource centres across Azerbaijan and said that the impact of supporting women goes beyond them as it affects also the whole society.

During field visits to ASAN centre for public service and Sumgait Industrial Park, the President of the General Assembly commended efforts made to provide social services to citizens in innovative ways and the strides to diversify Azerbaijan’s economy, eradicate poverty and implement the sustainable development goals.