Minister Champagne to co-preside meeting with UN member states on COVID-19

From: Global Affairs Canada

News release

April 10, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his Jamaican counterpart, Kamina Johnson Smith, will co-preside an extraordinary meeting of the United Nations Group of Friends of Sustainable Development Goals Financing today via video conference.

This meeting will be an opportunity for UN member states and international organizations to discuss ways to mitigate the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on developing countries.

The meeting will also allow representatives of the UN, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group, International Finance Corporation and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to debrief participants on their organizations’ responses to COVID-19.

Quotes

“The COVID-19 crisis threatens to exacerbate inequalities and erode the hard-fought gains many countries have made toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Canada is committed to helping partner countries manage the challenges their people face in responding to the pandemic so they can recover in a way that will support their long-term health and prosperity.”

- François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Quick facts

  • Canada and Jamaica lead the Group of Friends of SDG Financing at the UN in New York City, with participation by representatives of over 70 countries, as well as representatives of the UN, World Bank Group and other organizations.

  • The Group of Friends of SDG Financing is a platform to promote solution-oriented ideas for unlocking finance for development.

  • The permanent representatives of the 193 UN member states will be invited to participate in the extraordinary meeting.

  • Representatives of international institutions that will participate in the meeting include:

    • Fahad Almubarak, Minister of State, Saudi Arabia, Member of the Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers and Saudi Arabia’s G20 Sherpa
    • Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations
    • Geoffrey Okamoto, First Deputy Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
    • Axel van Trotsenburg, Managing Director of Operations, World Bank Group
    • Philippe Le Houérou, Chief Executive Officer, International Finance Corporation
    • Jeffrey Schlagenhauf, Deputy Secretary-General, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Associated links

Contacts

Syrine Khoury
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Syrine.Khoury@international.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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