Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, will take part in the 71st session of the UN General Assembly in New York from September 18 to 25. The French delegation will be led by President Hollande. Jean-Marc Ayrault will be accompanied by André Vallini, Minister of State for Development and Francophonie.

During the week, he will take part in numerous multilateral meetings and will hold bilateral meetings with several of his counterparts:

1/ The work will focus on the international response to the crises.

• Syria: Jean-Marc Ayrault will take part in the high-level meeting of the Security Council on September 21. He has also taken the initiative to organize a ministerial meeting of the countries that support the peace effort on September 19, ahead of a meeting of the International Syria Support Group on September 20. The goal will be to make progress with respect to the cessation of hostilities, access to humanitarian assistance by the populations, the political transition, to reaffirm the fight against impunity and to put an end to the use of chemical weapons in Syria;
• Middle East peace initiative: The ministerial week will provide an opportunity to continue to mobilize our partners. Jean-Marc Ayrault will open the follow-up meeting to the Paris conference in June on the Middle East peace process and will take part in several high-level events on this issue;
• Libya: The minister will take part in a meeting on September 22 organized by the United States and Italy aimed at reaffirming the international community's support for Prime Minister Fayez Serraj's Government of National Accord;
• Africa: Jean-Marc Ayrault will take part in a meeting on Mali attended by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and a meeting on the same day on the Central African Republic attended by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra.

2/ The minister will attend the summit on the refugee and migrant crisis organized by President of the UN General Assembly Peter Thomson, and will accompany President Hollande to the Leaders' Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis organized by President Obama on September 20.

3/ A renewed appeal for states to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement will be launched on September 21 during an event hosted by Ban Ki-moon in order to achieve the sustainable development goals and accelerate the fight against climate disruption. A meeting on the topic of renewable energy in Africa will also take place on September 20.

4/ The minister will co-chair, together with his Tunisian and Qatari counterparts, a meeting on the reforms and investment opportunities in Tunisia on September 22.

5/ A year after the signing of the Iranian nuclear deal, Jean-Marc Ayrault will take part in a follow-up meeting on the implementation of the deal with our partners in the "E3/UE+3" group and Iran on September 22.

During his visit, Jean-Marc Ayrault will meet with numerous civil society actors. He will visit the start-up Datadog, founded by French citizens, on September 23 and will meet with several NGOs to discuss human rights.

The minister will deliver a speech to students at Columbia University on September 22. He will visit the September 11 Memorial on September 18. He will take part in a meeting on the "Fieldwork: Marfa" project which focuses on French-American cooperation in the cultural and artistic spheres.

Pakistan – Meeting between Jean-Marc Ayrault and Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister of Finance (Paris- September 16, 2016 - 12:15pm)

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, is meeting today with Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs, Statistics and Privatization. Muhammad Ishaq Dar was received yesterday by Michel Sapin, Minister of Finance and Public Accounts.

Mr. Ayrault and Mr. Dar will take stock of our bilateral economic relations. They will also discuss the fight against terrorism and the regional situation.

Culture – European Heritage Days (September 17-18, 2016)

On September 17, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development Jean-Marc Ayrault will meet with members of the public who are attending cultural events at the Quai d'Orsay and La Celle-Saint-Cloud.

Events at the Ministry's main facilities will explore the theme "heritage and citizenship" during the latest edition of European Heritage Days on September 17 and 18. Harlem Désir, Minister of State in charge of European Affairs, will also be a participant.

Several events are scheduled that relate to issues currently in the news: peace, Europe and migration. Exhibits attended by artists, educational workshops for children, and concerts are all on the program.

At the Quai d'Orsay, peace treaties from our diplomatic archives that have never before been publicly displayed will be on view ahead of the show "The Art of Peace: Secrets and Treasures of Diplomacy," opening on October 19 at the Petit Palais in Paris.

For more information, visit http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/le-ministere-et-son-reseau/evenements-et-actualites-du-ministere/journees-europeennes-du-patrimoine/edition-2016/article/journees-europeennes-du-patrimoine-2016-17-et-18-septembre-2016.

Development – André Vallini to attend the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Montreal - September 16-17, 2016)

Minister of State in charge of Development and Francophonie André Vallini will represent France at the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to be held in Montreal on September 16 and 17.

He will underscore France's full support for the Global Fund and reiterate the commitment made by the President on June 26 to maintain France's contribution of €1.08 billion for the period of 2017-2019, i.e., €360 million per year.

He will also announce an increase in the share allocated to Initiative 5%, whose goal is to provide bilateral technical assistance to French-speaking countries that are beneficiaries of the Global Fund, in order to provide support for project development, implementation and follow-up.

A founding member of the Global Fund, the world’s second-largest contributor, and Europe's largest contributor, France reaffirms its commitment to the fund, which is working to limit and eliminate those three pandemics.

Climate / Paris Agreement – Ratification by Mexico (September 16, 2016)

France welcomes Mexico's ratification of the Paris Agreement, which reflects its commitment to the fight against climate change.

France encourages all the countries that have signed the agreement to ratify it promptly, with an eye to the high-level event on the agreement's entry in force to be held in New York on September 21.

This process will help us reach the threshold of 55 countries representing 55% of emissions—required for the agreement's entry in force—in a timely manner.

Economic diplomacy / Aerospace – Sale of nine A330-300 aircraft to Hong Kong Airlines (September 15, 2016)

We welcome the signing of a major contract between Airbus and Hong Kong Airlines, announced by the European manufacturer on September 15. This firm order, worth approximately €2 billion, relates to nine A330-300 aircraft.

This new order strengthens the relationship of trust between a European manufacturer and the Hong Kong company, which already exclusively operates Airbus aircraft (11 A320, 22 A330, and one A350-900 due to be delivered by the end of 2018).

Peru / Space cooperation – Launch of the PerúSAT-1 communications satellite (Kourou - September 15, 2016)

France welcomes the successful launch of the PerúSAT-1 communications satellite yesterday from the Kourou Space Center involving the use of a Vega launch vehicle.

This Earth observation satellite, built by Airbus Defence and Space, is a landmark project that highlights the joint determination of France and Peru to strengthen their bilateral cooperation.

The launch of this satellite will benefit many sectors and will notably help strengthen the fight against deforestation and improve natural disaster management.

Open Government Partnership – French Presidency (September 20, 2016)

On September 20, France will assume the co-presidency of the Open Government Partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI), an NGO that operates in more than 50 countries to promote sustainable development and the fight against climate change.

The Open Government Partnership is a multilateral initiative established in 2011 that brings together 70 countries and several hundred non-governmental organizations. It aims to promote government transparency and integrity, citizen participation, and the use of digital tools.

The main priorities of the joint France-WRI presidency will be presented on September 20 in New York during the UN General Assembly.

On December 7-9, France will host the Partnership's global summit in Paris, which will allow member states, academics, civil society representatives, and international organizations to discuss their experiences, best practices, and progress on open government.

For more information, visit:

• http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/politique-etrangere-de-la-france/diplomatie-numerique/numerique-et-enjeux-internationaux/open-data/article/la-france-presidente-du-partenariat-pour-un-gouvernement-ouvert-en-2016
• https://fr.ogpsummit.org/osem/conference/ogp-summit

During the press briefing, Pauline Carmona, secretary-general of the Open Government Partnership summit, and Etalab director Laure Lucchesi reviewed the status of summit preparations and answered reporters' questions.