“We are witnesses to the undermining of the foundations of the international order and to growing security threats. For this reason, today more than ever, we must fight for the UN and the spirit it represents. This means that we must always defend the goals and principles of the UN Charter, and advocate dialogue and cooperation”, Minister Fajon said. If elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Slovenia will act as an honest broker and reliable partner to build trust for a secure future.

In the discussion on current global challenges, the Minister underlined the need for understanding, dialogue and trust. “The EU pays special attention to the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhood. The candidate status for Ukraine and Moldova and the European perspective for Georgia send a strong political message to these countries that they are an important part of the efforts to protect our common democratic values”, she stressed.

In addition to the Minister, the panel also included Staffan de Mistura, Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, and Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Minister met with Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Qu Dongyu to discuss the global food crisis and to reaffirm their partnership in celebrating World Bee Day. Five years after the UN General Assembly – on Slovenia’s initiative – declared 20 May World Bee Day, pollinators remain high on the international agenda as guarantors of food security and biodiversity.

The Minister also met with Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy, Ahmed bin Mubarak, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen, and Leo Docherty, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. They discussed current foreign policy issues and bilateral cooperation.