The plenary part of the 68th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which will take place until 21 October 2022, this year under Slovenia's chairmanship, has started. High-level participants, including a number of delegates from the Contracting Governments and representatives of non-governmental delegations, were addressed by State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Samuel Žbogar, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Uroš Brežan, and Mayor of the Municipality of Piran Đenjo Zadković.

As part of the enlargement package, the European Commission today issued a recommendation that Bosnia and Herzegovina be awarded EU candidate status but will have to meet additional requirements before making further steps on the path to the Union. This is the same formula that the Commission has already applied in the case of Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the recommendation as an important step towards the granting of EU candidate status. In the next stage, this will be decided on by the EU heads of state and government at the European Council.

State Secretary Samuel Žbogar attended the 52nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Lima, Peru, from 5 to 7 October 2022. Foreign Ministers from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, as well as permanent observers, held discussions under the title "Together against inequality and discrimination" to reduce social and other inequalities that have been exacerbated in the countries of the Western Hemisphere by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council concludes its 51st regular session today. Between 12 September and 7 October 2022, the central body of the UN in the field of human rights addressed the most pressing human rights situations around the world and adopted a number of thematic resolutions. At the meeting, Slovenia presented two initiatives in cooperation with partner countries, an initiative on the human rights of older persons and a resolution on human rights education. Slovenian expert Dr Sancin was elected to the Advisory Committee of the Council.

State Secretary Marko Štucin addressed participants at the event held at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Slovenia and Austria.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon addressed Diplomatic Academy participants at the start of the new academic year. She spoke about her experience during the first months since taking up the post of Foreign Minister, and went on to mention current foreign policy issues and related priorities for Slovenian foreign policy in the coming period.

State Secretary Marko Štucin met with State Secretary at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Andreja Metelko Zgombić, in Zagreb. They discussed opportunities for strengthening and further deepening bilateral cooperation and topical issues of the EU.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanja Fajon, State Secretary for Economic Development and Technology, Matevž Frangež, and State Secretary for Defence, Rudi Medved, addressed the Business to Diplomacy (B2D) event entitled “Slovenia in Space” in the Noordung Centre. The purpose of the event was to help create new connections and opportunities for cooperation at the national and international level, to present the activities and achievements of the Slovenian space sector to representatives of foreign embassies and the Slovenian economic and defence attachés.

This year’s International Day of Older Persons, celebrated on 1 October, is dedicated to the resilience and contributions of older women. The discrimination and inequalities that women face can increase with age. For this reason, the contributions and experiences of older women, who play an important role in social, political, economic and cultural life, often remain disregarded.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the international conference in Gorizia held under the title European Cultural Links - Cross-border cities as European meeting points. In a panel entitled How to further define cross-border cooperation and remove barriers: policy instruments and territorial perspectives, he highlighted the European Capital of Culture 2025 project and the successful partnership between Nova Gorica and Gorizia as outstanding examples of cooperation between the two border towns.

In March 2022, the successor states of the former Social Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) signed the joint sale contract and in September 2022, the closing documents for the sale of the real estate of the former SFRY Mission to the United Nations. Slovenia will receive EUR 7.3 million from the sale of the property at 854 Fifth Avenue, New York, which is 14 per cent of the total purchase price.

Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Eva Tomič took part in the meeting of EU development directors-general in Brussels. The directors-general discussed the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy, global food supply and preparations for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the opening session of the workshop "ERP and IPA Coordinators as Inspired Leaders" in Bled. The event has been organised as part of the EU-funded project "Structural Reforms Better Integrated Within Fiscal Frameworks - FIR 2".

Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and President Borut Pahor presented Slovenia's vision for its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council to the Permanent Representatives of the UN Member States in New York. "During its 30-year UN membership, Slovenia has proven on several occasions its commitment to multilateralism, solidarity and shared responsibility for world peace, security and development. Today, we are committed to this goal more than ever," underlined Minister Fajon.

On the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in a number of ministerial events, held several bilateral meetings, and signed the economic cooperation agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the Kyrgyz Republic.

The 7th edition of the Mediterranean Coast and Macro-regional Strategies Week under this year's slogan "Healthy seas for a safer future" was officially opened in Izola on Tuesday. The attendees were addressed by Ambassador Ksenija Škrilec, Acting Director-General for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her third State of the Union address to the European Parliament today, in which she set out the vision for the Union in the year ahead, before holding a discussion with MEPs the achievements of the last year and the way forward.

The 11th Slovenian Economic Diplomacy Day was held as part of the MOS Celje trade fair. Strengthening economic diplomacy is one of the priorities of Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon. The event was attended by ambassadors and honorary consuls to the Republic of Slovenia and by a number of representatives of Slovenian companies and institutions.

Slovenia joined the Copenhagen Pledge on Tech for Democracy that lays out a framework and envisions a shared digital future based on democratic values and human rights.

On the day of the official opening of the 77th UNGA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a briefing for representatives of embassies based in Ljubljana. State Secretary Samuel Žbogar presented Slovenia’s priorities for the UNGA and plans related to participation in the General Debate, which will take place in New York from 20 to 26 September 2022.