UN President of the General Assembly holds meeting on strengthening cooperation between UN, Regional and Sub-Regional Organizations
Monday, May 18, 2015 at 3:38PM 
As reported by IISD, on 4 May 2015, the President of the UN General Assembly, Sam Kutesa, convened a high-level thematic debate on strengthening cooperation between the UN, regional and sub-regional organizations. During the deliberations, delegates discussed strengthening strategic partnerships, as well as how engaging and mobilizing regional and sub-regional organizations to enable them to play an effective role in the implementation of the post-2015 development agenda. The event resulted in a negotiated declaration on strengthening cooperation between the UN, regional and sub-regional organizations, which was negotiated ahead of the debate and was expected to be adopted by the Assembly on 5 May 2015.
In opening the debate President Kutesa pointed to strengthening cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations as one his key priorities for the 69th UNGA session. He noted that over 25 regional and sub-regional organizations have established formal “cooperative relationships” with the UN and called for building on lessons learned to create even more innovative and flexible partnership arrangements that draw on respective strengths; and to find ways of ensuring predictable and sustainable financing for regional and sub-regional organizations.
For further information on contributions to the debate, including those of the UN Secretary-General, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, Georges Rebelo Chikoti, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Angola and Chair of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGRL), and Annika Soder, Vice Minister and State Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, see http://bit.ly/1IGVxKT
PGA