No.2|September 2018 Dear Colleagues and Friends, Ten years after the last financial crisis, this year’s Labor Day presented an opportunity to reflect on questions of social justice and political stability, including the state of trade unions and labor relations. In this context, most assessments painted a rather gloomy picture- highlighting major flaws in regulation and redistribution. The UN's 2030 Agenda, adopted by 193 countries in 2015, calls upon the international community to"leave no one behind," but effective implementation of this powerful tenet is still unrealized. Today, the notion of solidarity as a guiding principle for politics and policies needs to be reinforced- both on the national and international level. The rapid erosion of norms such as human rights, rule of law and democracy is a worrying feature of our times. It is our task to forge strong alliances and coalitions to encounter these trends and to find effective responses to global challenges such as climate change, migration and illicit financial flows in a robust multilateral system based on the idea of international solidarity. On the occasion of the opening of the 73rd General Assembly of the United Nations, we are very pleased to share with you some information on upcoming and past activities of the FES New York office. We hope you enjoy this issue of UN in Focus and appreciate your feedback. With best regards, Bettina Luise Rürup Executive Director Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung- New York Office Upcoming Events