The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminita Odobescu, received on Friday, on a courtesy visit, the representatives of four specialized UN agencies and funds in Romania - Anna Riatti, representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Caroline Francoise Clarinval, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Pablo Zapata, representative of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Mircea Mocanu, representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
During the discussions, Minister Odobescu reaffirmed Romania's commitment to support UN principles, the international order based on rules and effective multilateralism. She expressed her appreciation for the activity of the four UN agencies in Romania in carrying out actions with an important social and humanitarian impact, in relevant fields for the Romanian state and at the global level: public health, protection of children, refugees, migration management, the Foreign Ministry (MAE) informs in a release to AGERPRES.
According to the quoted source, Luminita Odobescu reiterated "the active role assumed by Romania within the UN as an actor involved in strengthening international security and countering the negative impact of the consequences of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine", agerpres reports.
In this context, Romania's involvement, together with UN specialized agencies and funds, in managing the humanitarian situation and ensuring food security for the most vulnerable categories of populations, at the global level, was evoked. The Romanian official reaffirmed the continuation of multidimensional support for Ukraine as long as it will be necessary and presented the main assistance measures granted by the Romanian authorities to the Ukrainian refugees, as well as for the facilitation of grain transit from Ukraine.
The UN has been present in Romania since 1970, when the United Nations Information Center was established in Bucharest.
The initiative to create "UN Houses" in the member states in which various agencies, programs and funds of the UN system are represented belonged to former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in the early 2000s. The "UN House" in Bucharest was inaugurated in 2003. Currently, it houses a number of representatives of the specialized agencies, funds and programs of the UN system: the United Nations Children's Fund - UNICEF; World Health Organization - WHO; United Nations Refugee Agency - UNHCR; International Organization for Migration - IOM.
The World Food Program within the UN, which carries out activities for the benefit of Ukrainian refugees, has been present in Romania since 2022.