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

PRESIDENT THANKS BANGLADESH FOR HELPING ROHINGYA REFUGEES

• The President held a meeting this morning with Dr. Dipu Moni, a current Member of Parliament and the former Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.
• On the issue of the Rohingya, the President thanked Bangladesh for its assistance to the refugees. He noted that the matter was being discussed in the General Assembly’s Third Committee and offered the General Assembly’s support in addressing the crisis, while also noting that the Secretary-General and Security Council were already playing an active role.
• The President recognized that Bangladesh was an important voice and had considerable knowledge and expertise on the Rohingya issue, given its understanding of the situation on the ground. In that regard, Bangladesh could help the international community to agree on the best way forward.

DIVERSITY IS THE FUEL OF MULTILATERALISM, PRESIDENT TELLS U.N. DAY CONCERT

• The President delivered remarks last night at the United Nations Day concert in the General Assembly Hall. The theme was “Potential in Diversity”.
• He said: “Diversity is the fuel of multilateralism. Without it, we would revert to the way the world was before 1945: where rules were created on the basis of power and military might alone.”
• He added: “If we are to harness the potential of diversity, however, we need to fully embrace it. This means we need to engage with each other – not just in theory, but in practice. We need dialogue – not just a succession of monologues.”

THIRD COMMITTEE HEARS FROM RAPPORTEURS ON IRAN, MYANMAR, D.P.R. KOREA

• The General Assembly’s Second Committee, which deals with economic and financial matters, today discussed operational activities for development of the United Nations system. It heard a statement this morning from the Deputy Secretary-General.
• Meanwhile, this afternoon, the General Assembly’s Third Committee will interact with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar; the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran; and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
• Asked about procedures in the Fourth Committee related to petitioners, the Spokesperson noted that the Committee has a longstanding practice of allowing individuals and organizations to present their views on any of the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories on the Committee’s agenda. The Spokesperson said that anyone can become a petitioner, and all petitioners are approved by the Committee. He added that, although rare, there have been instances when the Committee has rejected a petitioner’s request to appear before it.