On Monday, 24 September, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis participated in the proceedings of the annual “Concordia Summit” held in New York.

Heads of state and government from around the world, heads of international organizations, as well as business executives participate in the Summit, which is held every year in New York, at the same time as the 73rd UN General Assembly.

Present on the first day of the Summit were, among others, daughter and advisor to the President of the United States Mrs. Ivanka Trump, Princess Mary of Denmark, Montenegro’s Prime Minister Mr Dusko Markovic, former Foreign Minister of the United Kingdom Mr. David Milliband, the co-founders of Concordia Matthew Swift and Nicholas Logothetis, the President and CEO of the Libra Group Mr. George Logothetis, businessmen Andrew Liveris and John Koudounis who are of Greek descent, as well as many others.

During her speech on “Social Solidarity: The road to a more humane society”, Mrs. Vardinoyannis stressed the need for modern societies to return on the path of contribution and social solidarity, as this is the only way we will be able to ensure prosperity for all.

Citing the example of the work of the ELPIDA Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, Mrs. Vardinoyannis noted the need for collective action in response to current problems.

“We need to work together. To work together and to rebuild our societies upon the values of social solidarity, contribution, and helping one another. Today more than ever, new technologies give us the opportunity to share the knowledge that will ensure a better future for all”,” Mrs Vardinoyannis characteristically stated.

In the margins of the Summit, Mrs. Vardinoyannis had a private meeting with Princess Mary of Denmark. The discussion of the two women focused on issues of common interest related to social contribution.

It should be noted that the “Concordia Summit” aims to mobilise the private sector, in cooperation with States and international organizations, in order to provide solutions to current global problems. These include handling of the immigration crisis and achievement of the UN sustainable development goals for 2030 with the contribution of the private sector.