Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Šuica will be in New York from 21 to 25 September 2026 for the 81st United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, as part of the European Union delegation.
Throughout the week, Commissioner Šuica will underline the EU’s commitment to effective multilateralism and strong cooperation with the United Nations and international partners, particularly in the Mediterranean and the Gulf. Her engagements will focus on translating this cooperation into concrete action – from peace and early recovery in the Middle East to women’s economic empowerment, freedom of expression and regional connectivity.
The Pact for the Mediterranean, launched in November 2025, will provide an important framework for several of the Commissioner’s engagements, bringing forward concrete initiatives developed together with partners across the region.
On Tuesday, 22 September, Commissioner Šuica will co-host with UNESCO Assistant Director-General Mariya Gabriel an event on strengthening information integrity and freedom of expression in the Mediterranean. The event will focus on cooperation to support independent media and journalists, promote freedom of expression and strengthen resilience against disinformation.
On Wednesday, 23 September, Commissioner Šuica will co-host with UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo and Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam the High-Level Ministerial Policy Dialogue “Moving Beyond Crisis: Investing in Development from Day One”. On this occasion, the Commissioner will announce further EU support for Lebanon, contributing to the country’s stability, recovery and reform path.
Later that day, the Commissioner will participate in the Call to Action for Palestinian Children in the West Bank and Gaza, co-hosted by the EU, Jordan and Belgium together with OCHA, UNRWA, UNICEF, WFP and Save the Children.
Commissioner Šuica will also co-host with UN Women a High-Level Roundtable on women’s economic empowerment in the MENA region, where the EU-UN Women Regional Initiative on Surging Women’s Employment will be officially launched.
Another major focus of the Commissioner’s programme will be the EU’s work for peace and early recovery in Gaza. On Wednesday, Commissioner Šuica will sign with UNICEF and UNDP the first two early recovery projects under the Team Gaza Initiative, delivering on the work launched at the Palestine Donor Group meeting in July. She will then co-chair with Germany, France and Egypt a high-level roundtable on Gaza recovery, focusing on consolidating peace and advancing early recovery.
On Thursday, 24 September, Commissioner Šuica will participate in a series of high-level meetings on the Middle East, including the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, launched by the EU, Norway and Saudi Arabia; the UNRWA Ministerial-level Meeting; and the Ministerial Meeting on Palestine with members of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee.
On Friday, 25 September, Commissioner Šuica will participate in the UNDP high-level event “Regional Convergence for Energy, Trade and Connectivity”, organised jointly with the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretariat. Discussions will focus on how stronger regional cooperation and connectivity can contribute to resilience, investment and strategic integration between Europe, the Mediterranean and the Gulf.
Throughout the week, Commissioner Šuica will also hold a series of high-level bilateral meetings with representatives of the United Nations and partners from the region.
Press and audio-visual material will be made available through the European Commission and the EU Delegation to the United Nations channels.
