OPEC Secretary General extends congratulations on UN Day

By One Peter
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Secretary General, Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, has sent a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), HE António Guterres, in which he congratulated the UN family on UN day. The occasion has offered an opportunity to reflect on the success of OPEC’s cooperation with the UN in the past and look forward to future collaboration and partnership.
UN Day commemorates the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, the UN officially came into being. Since 1948, the 24th of October has always been a celebration of the UN’s outstanding contribution to world peace.
In his letter, l Barkindo stated that “since OPEC was registered with the UN Secretariat as an inter-governmental organization on 6 November, 1962, following UN Resolution No. 6363, we have celebrated successes on many fronts, particularly in the fields of combatting climate change and sustainable development.”
In March 2017, the OPEC Secretary General met with the newly appointed Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Amina Mohammed. This was an opportunity to discuss the broad spectrum of issues on which the two entities collaborate.
Furthermore, the Secretary General has also been involved in extensive, ongoing dialogue with Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), whom he met most recently in March. These talks have opened up further possibilities for enhancing collaboration between OPEC and the UNFCCC on matters such as climate change, sustainable development and economic diversification.
The Secretary General concluded his letter on a forward looking note, “OPEC is determined to continue its fruitful and productive partnership with the UN, building on the success of our joint efforts in the past. Given what we have already achieved together, I look forward with great optimism to what we will accomplish in the future.”