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

MIROSLAV LAJČÁK TO BECOME 1^st GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO MAKE FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE SUMMARY PUBLIC

• In compliance with General Assembly resolution 70/305, the President submitted a financial disclosure statement upon assumption of his duties.
• The President has now received notification from the designated external reviewer that the review has been conducted and closed. No further action is required from the President at this time.
• Nevertheless, although not required to by the General Assembly, the President intends to make a summary of his financial disclosure statement available on our office’s web site — in the interest of transparency and accountability.
• He plans to work with the United Nations Ethics office to put this summary together.
• He would be the first President of the General Assembly to make a summary of his financial disclosure statement public.

ASSEMBLY TO HEAR FROM SECRETARY-GENERAL ON PEACE & SECURITY REFORM PROPOSALS TOMORROW

• In response to questions, the Spokesperson confirmed that the President would convene an informal meeting of the General Assembly to hear a briefing from the Secretary-General on his reform proposal contained in document A/72/525 (“Restructuring of the United Nations peace and security pillar”).
• The briefing would take place tomorrow, 9 November, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The venue was yet to be determined.
• The President had sent a letter to Member States on 7 November, informing them of this meeting.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY & SECURITY COUNCIL TO ELECT WORLD COURT JUDGES TOMORROW

• Tomorrow morning, both the General Assembly and the Security Council will be electing judges for the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
• There are 6 candidates for 5 vacant seats. They come from Brazil, France, India, Lebanon, Somalia and the United Kingdom.
• The Court is composed of 15 judges elected to 9-year terms. The General Assembly and Security Council vote for them simultaneously but independently of one another. To be elected, a candidate must get an absolute majority of the votes in both bodies. That means 97 votes in the Assembly and 8 votes in the Security Council.
• The results are then compared. And the candidates who win in both bodies are announced as elected. If the candidates selected by the Assembly and Council do not match, the elections keep going.