A Sustainable Development Infrastructure for Agrifood R&D: Enabling research collaboration between the United Nations and the European Union to address the UN SDGs 2 and 17

University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland will host a UN SDG Summit Satellite event in the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels from 11am to 1pm on the 24th September 2019. Please note registration will be from 10.15am and a light lunch will be served following the event.

The UN SDG Summit will take place during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on the 24th to 25th of September 2019. This United Nations SDG Summit will be chaired by the President of the General Assembly and will result in a concise negotiated political declaration.

The Satellite event will also coincide with the European Union's Research and Innovation Days taking place in Brussels on the 24th to 26th September 2019.

Brussels satellite event will explore potential synergies between Horizon Europe, the Neighbourhood, Development and Interational Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and other EU Programmes supporting R&D and the SDGs in the Agrifood and related sectors. It will also provide a forum to engage with potential partners and other stakeholders with specific reference to the creation of a Sustainable Development Infrastructure for Agrifood (SDIA).

This UN SDG Summit Satellte event on Agrifood Sustainability will be an important opportunity for current and potential SDIA partners to exchange views as well as specifically examining how EU and UN cooperation can be aligned in the area of agri-food science capacity building, including nutrition and health. The outcome of the event will be practical initiatives to support the implementation of the objectives advanced in the European Union’s proposal for Horizon Europe, including alignment with the UN SDGs.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ireland's Permanent Representative to the UN (via Video Address)

• Ambassador Declan Kelleher, Permanent Representative of Ireland to the EU

• H.E. Dr Shumete Gizaw, State Minister, Ministry for Science and Technology, Ethiopia

• Karina Angelieva, Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Republic of Bulgaria

• Ambassador Patrick Gomes, Director General, Africa-Caribbean Pacific Group of States

• John Bell, Director Healthy Planet, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission

• Dr Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, Rural Development, Food Security & Nutrition, DG DEVCO, European Commission

• Ambassador Shahid Kamal, COMSATS

• Triona McCormack, Director of Research, University College Dublin