NEW YORK CITY/VIENNA, 19 September 2022 – OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid will be in New York City from 19 to 23 September 2022 on the occasion of the high-level meeting and the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Her participation is an opportunity to build on co-operation with and among participating States as well as with the United Nations and other regional organizations. This year’s theme for the general debate is “A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”.

Secretary General Schmid will echo this theme in meeting with Foreign Ministers from across the OSCE region to discuss how best to tackle a broad range of challenges to security, including the war against Ukraine, border disputes, climate change and environmental degradation, human trafficking, sexual violence, and more. While in New York she will also meet with key UN officials including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov and Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women.

Schmid will also participate in a number of side events, including on human trafficking, sexual violence in conflict, and avoiding humanitarian crises through mediation.