Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Edmondo Cirielli, participated on 4-5 September in Cádiz in the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers, chaired by High Representative Josep Borrell, assisted by the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen.
Together with the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, the Ministers discussed the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals Summit (New York, 18-19 September) – the major event dedicated to development – aimed at relaunching action towards the 2030 Agenda. The meeting continued with a discussion on the EU’s contribution to the social dimension of the 2030 Agenda, the reform of the international financial architecture for development, and the consequences of the latest developments in Niger for European cooperation.
During the event, Deputy Minister Cirielli reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to the success of the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals Summit in New York, which will be an opportunity for Italy to share, at the highest political level, the results of the second UN Food Systems Summit held in Rome last 24-26 July. Cirielli expressed, in particular, the need to increase efforts in favour of Africa’s development and, regarding the demographic challenge facing Africa, he stressed the right to migrate legally and in a controlled manner, pointing out that European cooperation efforts should be directed towards enabling young Africans to choose not to leave their homelands. With regard to Niger, the Deputy Minister pointed out that, regardless of the legitimacy of the Government, further efforts should be made to support the weaker sections of the population.
