CIRSD President Mr. Vuk Jeremić is attending the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey, as a special guest of the host country.
During the T20 component of the Summit, Jeremić participated in the opening panel, dedicated to the enhancement of cooperation between G20 and the United Nations. At the discussion, Jeremić advocated stronger ties between these two bodies, stressing in particular the necessity of their joint efforts in the implementation of the recently adopted UN Agenda 2030, and well as on tackling the climate change.
CIRSD President stated that the forthcoming summit on climate change in Paris, France, is perhaps the last opportunity for UN Member States to reach a comprehensive and binding agreement on how to mitigate and reverse some of the most critical trends in this field.
With regard to the refugee crisis in Europe, Jeremić asserted that this humanitarian catastrophe could not be ended until the root causes in the Middle East have been addressed. CIRSD President underlined the urgency of reaching comprehensive diplomatic solution to the current conflict in Syria.
"Cooperation between the G20 and the UN is indispensable for ameliorating the security environment in the Middle East and North Africa, but also for laying a foundation for sustainable development and economic growth in this part of the world", Jeremić stated.
Other participants at the keynote panel discussion included Cevdet Yılmaz, Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey; Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary-General; John Danilovich, Secretary-General of International Chamber of Commerce and Shamshad Akhtar, G20 Sherpa, United Nations
Jeremić begun his remarks by making a reference to the terrorist attacks in Paris, stating that "These tragic events are yet another reminder that the conflict in Syria cannot be quarantined and that Europeans cannot avoid its spillover effects by simply turning their heads from it".
The main part of the G20 Summit starts tomorrow, with terrorism, refugee crisis in Europe, the war in Syria and global economic outlook being the main focus.
