Albares visits New York to discuss the Middle East with the UN and receive the FPA Medal

Eduardo González The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, left this Tuesday for New York, where tomorrow, October 30, he will discuss with the Deputy Secretary General of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the situation in the Middle East and the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and will receive the prestigious medal of the Foreign Policy Association Medal. The trip comes after UN Secretary General António Guterres called an emergency meeting on October 15 with the countries contributing troops to UNIFIL to discuss the situation on the ground following the Israeli attacks against the mission, in which five peacekeepers were injured. The Government of Spain has firmly condemned the new attack carried out on Tuesday against the UNIFIL headquarters in Naqura and has demanded that the parties respect the mission's troops. "Attacks on peacekeeping operations are a very serious violation of international law and, in the case of UNIFIL, of Security Council resolution 1701," the press release concludes. The minister will also meet with the International Committee of Experts of the International Conference on Financing for Development, which will take place in Seville in 2025. He will also give a lecture at Columbia University on the “new Spanish foreign policy” and will take the opportunity to meet with Spaniards studying at this institution, which is the fifth oldest in the United States. ‘FPA Medal’ After this meeting, Albares will attend the Foreign Policy Association (FPA) gala dinner, where he will be awarded the FPA Medal, which recognizes people who demonstrate “responsible internationalism and work to expand public knowledge of international affairs.” Founded in 1918, the FPA is a private, non-profit, non-partisan educational organization that disseminates the main foreign policy issues among the American public and encourages their discussion at different levels. It is based in New York and, unlike the think tanks established in Washington, its main purpose is not to influence decision-making, but to carry out outreach work that contributes to strengthening American democracy. Initially created as the League of Free Nations Association by personalities such as John Foster Dulles and Eleanor Roosevelt, it sought to support the international role of the United States and its participation in the design of the Peace of Versailles. Today it is a recognized association among diplomats and internationalists. The FPA Medal is the highest award granted by the organization. It recognizes people who demonstrate responsible international work and work to expand public knowledge of international affairs. Among others, recipients of the award include King Felipe VI (2022), Nadia Calviño (2023), Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York, and Jean-Claude Trichet, former president of the European Central Bank.

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