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

PRESIDENT CONCERNED BY RISING DEATH TOLL AFTER IRAN-IRAQ EARTHQUAKE

• The President, in a tweet this morning, said he was worried by the rising death toll from the devastating earthquake in Iran and Iraq.
• He added that the General Assembly stands with the Governments and survivors.

PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES PARTICIPATION IN PYEONGCHANG WINTER OLYMPICS, URGES ALL COUNTRIES TO JOIN HIM

• This morning the President delivered remarks to the General Assembly plenary meeting on the agenda item: “Sport for development and peace: building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”.
• The President said sport can bring people together and offers young people a platform for empowerment.
• Referring to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, which will be held in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, he added, “It is more important than ever to reaffirm the ideals of the United Nations, and the Olympic Games, in the Korean Peninsula.”
• He noted that he himself will be present in Pyeongchang in February and called on all countries to participate there.
• The General Assembly today adopted by consensus a resolution on the Olympics, by which it urged Member States to observe the Olympic Truce – from the seventh day before the start of the 23rd Olympic Winter Games until the seventh day following the end of the 12th Paralympic Winter Games.
• Also in connection with the Olympics today, the President met with the President of the International Olympic Committee, Mr. Thomas Bach, and a delegation from the Republic of Korea, which included: the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, H.E. Mr. DO Jong Whan; the President and Chief Executive Officer of the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Organizing Committee, Mr. LEE Hee Beom; and Olympic gold medalist Kim Yuna. The President met separately with the Permanent Representative of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the United Nations.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CAN’T BE A PLACE TO ADVANCE JUST OUR OWN INTERESTS

• The General Assembly plenary met this morning on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.
• In his remarks, the President said, “The General Assembly cannot be a place to advance our own interests. It cannot be a place we come to with nothing but red lines and static positions. This might be a tempting option. And it can lead to a win for one person, or one state, or one group. But, on the whole, we will all lose.”

PRESIDENT HEADS TO BONN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

• The President will be leaving New York this afternoon for official travel to Bonn, Germany. On Wednesday, 15 November, he will address the opening of the United Nations Climate Change Conference’s high-level segment.
• Ahead of his trip, the President said, “The Paris Agreement is a milestone for multilateralism. But it’s not an end in itself. While we discuss how to implement it, people are suffering from the unprecedented and brutal effects of climate change. This common threat binds us together, and only together can we solve it.”
• While in Bonn, the President is expected to hold bilateral meetings with fellow participants, including the Prime Minister of Fiji, who is also the Conference President. He will also hold a dialogue with young attendees on how he can best involve youth in his work and address their concerns during the 72nd session.
• He will be back in the office on Thursday, 16 November.
• Asked what message the President would be taking to Bonn, the Spokesperson said the President would convey the position that climate change does not respect national borders. As such, he would like to see the international community work together to address this common threat.

CANDIDATES FROM INDIA & U.K. COMPETE FOR LAST SEAT IN WORLD COURT ELECTIONS

• This afternoon, the General Assembly will meet to continue with the elections for the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
• Following the six rounds that were held on Thursday, four candidates were elected. They are from Brazil, France, Lebanon and Somalia. They received the required majority of votes in both the General Assembly and Security Council.
• However, there is still one vacancy that has not yet been decided upon. The candidates from India and the United Kingdom are now competing for that last seat.
• Asked for the President’s reaction to a former United Nations official who had said that the ICJ election process was unfair, the Spokesperson said that the process and procedures governing the elections were a matter for the Member States to agree upon. The President would respect whatever processes and procedures were agreed to by the Member States.

SPECIAL POLITICAL & LEGAL COMMITTEES WRAP UP WORK

• The Fourth Committee – or Special Political and Decolonization Committee – concluded its work on Friday, 10 November. It approved 39 draft resolutions and 4 draft decisions.  It held 28 formal meetings.
• During its decolonization debate, 116 individuals and organizations addressed the Committee as petitioners from several Non‑Self‑Governing Territories.
• The Sixth Committee, which handles legal matters, also wrapped up its work on Friday, 10 November. It discussed 24 agenda items, and adopted 17 resolutions and 1 decision by consensus.
• The reports from both the Fourth and Sixth Committees will be considered by the General Assembly plenary – most probably in December.

NO PRESIDENTIAL TRIPS CURRENTLY PLANNED TO ISRAEL OR PALESTINE

• Asked if the President had plans to travel to Israel or Palestine in the near future, the Spokesperson said that, as of now, he could not confirm any such plans and had nothing to announce in that regard.

NO ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION REQUIRED FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL’S APPOINTMENTS

• Asked whether the President believed that the Secretary-General should wait for a General Assembly resolution on Myanmar before appointing an envoy on that subject, the Spokesperson said it was up to the Secretary-General to appoint his own envoys as he saw fit.
• The Secretary-General did not need to wait for General Assembly resolutions before appointing envoys.