The European Commissioner for the Environment, Virginijus Sinkevičius, begins, on Monday 31 January, an official visit to the United States,to strengthen cooperation with the US and the UN on environment and climate issues.
In Washington on Monday, he will meet with President Biden’s special climate envoy, John Kerry, the Secretary of Agriculture,Tom Vilsack, the World Bank President, David Malpass, the US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Michael Regan, and members of Congress.
The Commissioner will also participate in a virtual event with students.
On Wednesday, Mr Sinkevičius will be in New York, where he will participate in a circular economy dinner organised by the European-American Chamber of Commerce with businesses.
On Thursday, talks with the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, will focus on cooperation between the EU and the UN, and upcoming international events such as the Kunming COP15 on biodiversity and the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction.
The Commissioner will also meet with the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, Sanda Ojiambo, to discuss private sector engagement in the Green Deal and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as with the Director of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Jeffrey Sachs.
Meetings with representatives of the banking sector and philanthropic organisations are also planned, says the Commission. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)