(Communicated by the Deputy Foreign Minister’s Bureau)

In the framework of his visit to New York for the 68th session of the UN General Assembly, Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin met on Monday, September 30, 2013 with UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson. In a joint initiative with Israel Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor, he called on the Deputy Secretary-General to recognize Yom Kippur as an official UN holiday, thus according international recognition to the importance of this day to the Jewish religion, and enabling UN employees to observe the holiday without having to give up a vacation day. Deputy Secretary-General Eliasson said he would consider the matter.

There are today ten official "UN holidays", including two Muslim holidays - Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. On these days, declared by the UN General Assembly in 1996 and 1998, UN offices around the world are closed. The other eight holidays are determined by each UN headquarters and duty station according to the country in which each is located.

In the course of his visit, Deputy Foreign Minister Elkin also met with President of the General Assembly 68th session John Ashe, and with the foreign ministers of Hungary, Myanmar, the Vatican and Iceland, with whom he raised issues on the current political agenda and Israel's status in the UN bodies. Deputy FM Elkin stressed that Israel intends to increase its involvement in the UN bodies and to broaden cooperation in those areas in which Israel can contribute to the world, beyond the Israel-Palestinian conflict - infrastructure, water, technology, agriculture, entrepreneurship and more.