SHANGHAI SECURITY BLOC, CSTO TO TALK AFGHANISTAN
The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization — two security blocs made up of largely Asian allied nations — will discuss the militant takeover of Afghanistan on Friday on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
The two-day summit of the Shanghai security alliance, featuring the Chinese and Russian presidents and the leaders of four ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, began in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe on Thursday. The Friday meeting will be attended by Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, an SCO observer state.
PARLIAMENTARY POLLS TO BEGIN IN RUSSIA
Russians will go to parliamentary polls to elect members of State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, as well as regional lawmakers and several regional and municipal governors. The three-day voting will be held through Sunday both online and at polling places.
BIDEN TO HOST LEADER-LEVEL CLIMATE TALKS
US President Joe Biden will host the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate. The virtual leaders-level climate conference will aim to “galvanize efforts” to deal with the global climate crisis.
The 17 major developed and developing economies are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
GREECE TO HOST EU MED7 SUMMIT
The leaders of the seven southern European countries — Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Malta — will convene in Athens for the eighth MED7 summit.
The informal group of EU Mediterranean nations will discuss the climate change, civil protection and the crisis in Afghanistan. Slovenia, Croatia, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend.
UK LIB DEM CONFERENCE TO KICK OFF ONLINE
The UK’s Liberal Democrats will hold a virtual conference from September 17-20, culminating in their leader Ed Davey addressing a live audience in London on Sunday.
The first day of the autumn conference will see panelists from around the globe log in to discuss the economic recovery from COVID-19 and unemployment, climate change, and UK citizens’ rights in the post-Brexit EU.
START OF UN GLOBAL GOALS WEEK
The UN will bring together world leaders for the annual week of action and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals. The event will be held virtually and in-person in New York City through September 26.
FLORENCE TO HOST G20 AGRICULTURE MINISTERS’ MEETING
Agricultural ministers of the 20 major economies will gather in Rome for a two-day meeting under the Italian G20 presidency. They have been meeting annually since 2015 to talk about food security and global agricultural development.
This year’s edition will feature two scientific workshops on antimicrobial resistance and on agriculture and climate change. The ministers will discuss progress toward achieving the Zero Hunger goal as part of the UN’s sustainable development goals for 2030.
WHO SECRETARY-GENERAL, EASTMED DIRECTOR TO GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE IN BEIRUT
The World Health Organization’s secretary-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and the WHO regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed Al-Mandhari, will give a press conference during their trip to Lebanon.
Ghebreyesus said he would meet with representatives of the Lebanese government, health workers and partners. He is expected to talk about the country’s health care system, COVID-19 response and last year’s explosion at the Beirut port.
HEARINGS IN 9/11 CASE TO WRAP UP AT GITMO PRISON
A week of hearings in the trial of five men accused of conspiring in the September 11, 2001 attacks will wrap up at the Guantanamo Bay prison on Cuba.
The hearings are the first since February 2020 following cancellations due to the pandemic. They coincided with the 20th anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
US, ISRAELI, ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS TO HOLD VIRTUAL TALKS
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will hold a virtual conference with foreign ministers from Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to the so-called Abraham Accords, brokered by then President Donald Trump a year ago.
Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed the accords on normalizing relations last year.
CHINESE SHENZHOU-12 CREWED SPACE MISSION TO RETURN HOME
Three Chinese astronauts will return to Earth after spending more than 90 days aboard the Tianhe space station module, the longest space trip for China. The trio arrived at the orbital outpost in the Shenzhou-12 spaceship. The Shenzhou 13 crewed mission is set for October.
