HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY BRENDEN VARMA, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT MIROSLAV LAJČÁK

United Nations Headquarters, New York

9 October 2017

 

PRESIDENT LEAVES FOR GENEVA TONIGHT FOR MEETINGS ON MIGRATION

  • The President of the General Assembly will be leaving for Geneva this evening.
  • While there, he will chair the second multi-stakeholder hearing on the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. And he’ll address the sixth informal thematic session on facilitating safe, orderly and regular migration.
  • He will also brief Geneva-based Permanent Representatives and meet with officials from the United Nations system, including: United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) Director-General Michael Møller; High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein; International Organization for Migration Director General William Lacy Swing; International Labour Organization Director-General Guy Ryder; and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi
  • The President will hold a press conference at the Palais des Nations on 10 October at 12:00 p.m. CEST/ 6:00 a.m. ET. It will be available live and on demand at: webtv.un.org.
  • The President will return to New York on 12 October and be back in the office the next day.
  • The Spokesperson was asked whether the President’s meetings in Geneva were preparation for the expected 2018 intergovernmental conference to adopt a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration. The Spokesperson confirmed that all of these events were indeed linked.
  • The Spokesperson said the President felt that migration was currently being addressed around the world in a national and reactive fashion. In that regard, agreement on a global compact and a common understanding of migration was an urgent test for the United Nations. The compact would probably be finalized around July 2018 in preparation for the expected intergovernmental conference in September 2018.
  • The Spokesperson added that migration was one of the President’s priorities, and he had allocated the largest amount of his time during the 72nd session to that topic.

 

ECONOMIC COMMITTEE HAS POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE PEOPLE’S LIVES

  • The President this morning delivered remarks to the General Assembly’s Second Committee, which handles economic and financial matters.
  • He said the work of the Committee has great potential to positively impact people’s quality of life. In that regard, he highlighted the importance of building momentum to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, and ensuring that the UN development system is more strategic, accountable, efficient and results-oriented.

 

VOTING RIGHTS RESTORED FOR 4 COUNTRIES IN ARREARS

  • Today the General Assembly plenary decided by consensus to restore the voting rights of Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, and Somalia.
  • Those rights had been suspended since the countries were in arrears.
  • However, the plenary agreed with the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee that the four countries’ inability to pay their dues had been linked to circumstances outside their control.

 

SPOKESPERSON’S BRIEFINGS TO RESUME ON FRIDAY

  • The Spokesperson noted that he would be traveling to Geneva with the President.
  • During his absence, the press briefings would not be held. They would resume on 13 October.