ATHENS – [ANA-MPA]
Environment and Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou will travel to New York on September 21 as part of Greece’s participation in the 81st High-Level Session of the UN General Assembly, with climate and energy diplomacy high on the agenda.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy, the minister’s meetings will focus on preparations for the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31), which will be held in Antalya, Türkiye, environmental protection, with a particular focus on water scarcity, as well as Greece’s enhanced role as an energy hub in the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Southeastern Europe.
Specifically, on September 22, Papastavrou will be among the keynote speakers at the ‘Foreign Policy’ magazine’s Energy Forum. He will then participate in the European Union’s ministerial coordination meeting on COP31, under the Irish presidency, which will also be attended by a delegation from Australia, which has assumed the presidency of the COP31 negotiating process.
On the same afternoon, he will speak at an Atlantic Council event, focusing on transatlantic energy cooperation.
On September 23, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Papastavrou will participate in the launch event of the Global Ocean Eye Alliance, co-chaired by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The initiative aims to improve monitoring of oceans and seas through the use of satellite data and digital models, with a focus on protecting the environment and climate, maritime safety and the development of cutting-edge technologies.
The same day, Papastavrou will attend a luncheon for the Greek diaspora co-hosted by 28 diaspora organisations, at which the prime minister will deliver remarks.
This will be followed by a bilateral meeting with European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth Wopke Hoekstra.
That afternoon, the environment and energy minister will participate in the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Meeting on Climate Action and Just Transition, focusing on accelerating implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Papastavrou will present Greece’s positions on a realistic energy transition, the country’s progress in decarbonisation and renewable energy development, as well as the need to strengthen adaptation and resilience to the impacts of climate change.
On September 24, Papastavrou will participate in a high-level ministerial meeting of the Global Water Organisation (GWO), focusing on strengthening international cooperation to address water scarcity and growing pressure on water resources.
On the energy front, the minister will hold meetings with representatives of Chevron and ExxonMobil, which are active in hydrocarbon exploration and development in Greece.
Papastavrou’s visit to New York will conclude on that same afternoon, when he attends Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ address to the United Nations General Assembly.
