The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, today concluded his trip to the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. During the trip, he met with ministers and prominent government and private sector officials to discuss opportunities for enhanced collaboration on shared priorities, such as food security, climate change, gender equality and women, peace and security in their region and in developing nations.
Minister Sajjan was in the United Arab Emirates to enhance cooperation on international development. He met with Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, to discuss greater collaboration between the United Arab Emirates and Canada on addressing the impacts of climate change, including on food security and biodiversity. This work is a priority for both countries, as Canada will host the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montréal this month and the United Arab Emirates is preparing to host the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2023.
The 2 ministers also mapped out the next steps to implement the Canada-United Arab Emirates 2014 memorandum of understanding on expanding and increasing their partnership on development cooperation. They reaffirmed their nations' commitments to plurality and to development work that respects human dignity. Their goal is to create opportunities by focusing on food security, education and health. Minister Sajjan also participated in a round table with representatives of humanitarian and philanthropic organizations to exchange knowledge about best practices in international development assistance efforts in the region.
Minister Sajjan also toured Dubai's International Humanitarian City, the world's largest centre for the distribution of humanitarian relief items, including those contributed by Canadian organizations, such as the Canadian Red Cross. He also visited the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) to see its innovative work on improving food security and nutrition and to discuss opportunities for collaboration, including by information-sharing between Canada and the ICBA.
While in Kuwait, Minister Sajjan commended the country for its leadership in humanitarian assistance in the region and internationally. He and his counterpart, Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs, advanced the already strong Canada-Kuwait partnership during the visit through frank discussions on shared global concerns and priorities and by signing a memorandum of understanding on development cooperation and mapping next steps for their countries' partnership.
Minister Sajjan also met with youths from public and private schools across Kuwait taking part in a young ambassadors initiative, which pairs 14- to 18-year-olds with embassies and UN organizations to provide mentoring and leadership development opportunities. At the event, he asked them what they hope to learn in the program and spoke to them about gender equality and inclusivity.
