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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

17 October 2017

 

PEOPLE MUST BE ABLE TO AFFORD DECENT LIVES, PRESIDENT SAYS ON POVERTY ERADICATION DAY

  • Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The President noted that 1 in 5 people in developing regions still live on less than $1.25 per day – and that 30 million children are growing up poor in the world’s richest countries.
  • He said it is important to work together to ensure that people everywhere can afford to live decent lives.

 

MIGRATION COMPACT AN URGENT TEST FOR THE U.N.

  • The President met this afternoon with the co-facilitators who are guiding the process leading to the world’s first ever global compact on migration. The co-facilitators are H.E. Mr. Juan Jose Gomez Camacho, Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations, and H.E. Mr. Jurg Lauber, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations.
  • They discussed how the Geneva meetings on migration went last week – as well as preparations for a stocktaking meeting to be held in Mexico in December. Following that meeting in Mexico, the co-facilitators will start working on a first draft of the global compact.
  • The President has said that finalizing this compact next year is an urgent test for the United Nations.

 

PRESIDENT TALKS ABOUT CONFLICT PREVENTION WITH WORLD BANK

  • The President met this afternoon with Mahmoud Mohieldin, the World Bank’s Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations, and Partnerships.
  • They discussed the World Bank’s engagement on conflict prevention, which is one of the President’s priorities. They also talked about financing for development.

 

PRESIDENT DISCUSSES MYANMAR & YEMEN WITH U.N. HUMANITARAN CHIEF

  • The President met this morning with United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock.
  • They discussed a number of issues, including Myanmar and Yemen.

 

ORAL STATEMENTS CONSIDERED “OFFICIAL RECORDS” IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  • The Spokesperson was asked whether a statement to the General Assembly’s First Committee by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 16 October 2017 was considered part of an “official record” of the United Nations – given that the statement was only partially read aloud.
  • The Spokesperson later replied that, in the General Assembly, only the portions of statements that are read aloud form part of the verbatim record. The verbatim record is then considered to be an “official record” of the United Nations. Delegations can distribute longer written versions of their statements, but those do not form part of the verbatim or “official” records of General Assembly meetings.