The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today concluded his participation in the 78th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGA) high-level week, where he worked together with the international community to build a healthier, cleaner, and secure future.
As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year, Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated Canada’s commitment to working with its international partners to defend the principles of freedom, peace, and equality the Declaration stands for, and to create a more just future for the generations to come. During UNGA, the Prime Minister met with world leaders and raised global issues, including foreign interference, the importance of the rule of law, climate change, and progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He also took the opportunity to condemn the Russian regime’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine as well as its decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which affects the most vulnerable by exacerbating global food insecurity.
While in New York City, Prime Minister Trudeau advanced ambitious international action to support the 2030 SDG Agenda, a pathway for a peaceful, equal, and healthy world. In his role as Co-Chair of the SDG Advocates group, the Prime Minister spoke at the SDG Summit and announced over $125 million to support projects in line with the SDGs that advance quality education, sustainable public health care systems, efforts to help eradicate tuberculosis, and support for the empowerment of women and girls, including advancing through sexual and reproductive health and rights. He also reaffirmed Canada’s support for the UN and its efforts to advance the SDGs, announcing a $78 million contribution to support programs such as UNICEF, UN Women, and the UN Population Fund.
In the face of wildfires and storms in Canada, and extreme weather around the world, Canada continues to take action to fight climate change while building an economy that works for everyone. The Prime Minister highlighted a price on pollution as one of the most effective tools to cut emissions, and in the case of Canada, make life more affordable for people at the same time. He welcomed four new members to Canada’s Global Carbon Pricing Challenge, which calls on countries to put a price on carbon to cover 60 per cent of global emissions by 2030. At the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit, Prime Minister Trudeau announced new commitments from Canada to increase ambition on emissions reduction, notably on further reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
