HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY BRENDEN VARMA, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT MIROSLAV LAJČÁK
PRESIDENT CALLS FOR MORE INCLUSIVE MEDIATION EFFORTS
• This morning, the President delivered remarks at the Ministerial Breakfast of the Group of Friends of Mediation.
• The President said the United Nations must be a leader on mediation. He said that we do not need to buy or invent more tools to do this. Instead, we need to concentrate on using the ones we have. Also, mediation efforts must be inclusive – involving women and youth.
PRESIDENT MEETS WITH WORLD LEADERS
• The President met with the Japanese Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Shinzo Abe, this morning. The President wished the Prime Minister a happy birthday. They then discussed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Security Council reform and sustainable development. On DPRK, the President said that there was unity and concerted effort among the international community, and that no country could ignore or resist a united international community.
• The President also met with the Serbian President, H.E. Mr. Aleksandar Vučić. They discussed migration, the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change and the situation in the Western Balkans.
• His other bilateral meetings today include: the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina; the President of Montenegro; the Prime Ministers of Mauritius and the Republic of Moldova; and the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Cuba, Georgia, Brazil, Morocco and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. He is also holding bilateral meetings with United Nations officials, including the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi.
• Readouts for all meetings will be posted here.
196 SPEAKERS EXPECTED FOR U.N. GENERAL DEBATE
• The United Nations General Debate started on 19 September and will end on 25 September.
• As of today, a total of 196 speakers are expected – including all 193 Member States plus 3 Observers.
• The 193 Member States are represented by 77 Heads of State, 6 Vice Presidents, 1 Crown Prince (from Jordan), 38 Heads of Government, 3 Deputy Prime Ministers, 61 Ministers and 7 Chairs of Delegation.
• The 3 Observers are the State of Palestine, which was represented by its Head of State; the Holy See, which was represented by a Minister; and the European Union.
• Looking at the first two days of the General Debate, the right of reply has only been exercised once so far (by Iran against Israel on the first day).
• The longest speech so far was delivered by the State of Palestine at 43 minutes. The second longest speaker was the President of the United States at 41 minutes. The shortest speech so far was delivered by the Head of State of Lithuania, who only spoke for 5 minutes.
PRESIDENT TO SUBMIT FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE FORM
• Asked about the President’s financial disclosure form, the Spokesperson said that the President was participating in the United Nations Financial Disclosure Programme and was working with the United Nations Ethics Office in that regard. He planned to submit his form before the designated deadline.
PROCEDURE FOR NEW MEMBER STATES CLARIFIED
• The Spokesperson was asked what the process was for a land mass to be accepted as a United Nations Member State. He replied that somebody on behalf of a State had to write to the Secretary-General; the request would then go to the Security Council and be voted on by the General Assembly. The State also had to subscribe to the ideals of the United Nations Charter.