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

• In a tweet this morning, the President said he was heartened by reports that Koreans from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Republic of Korea would march together in the opening ceremony of the forthcoming Winter Olympics.
• He expressed the General Assembly’s hope that Pyeongchang 2018 would foster an atmosphere of peace, development, tolerance and understanding on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia.

PRESIDENT DISCUSSES GULF SITUATION WITH QATARI EMIR, PRAISES KUWAIT FOR HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT

• The President is currently in Doha, Qatar.· Today he met with H.H. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar. They discussed the situation in the Gulf region.
• With the Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, H.E. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, he spoke about counter-terrorism and the importance of dialogue in sustaining peace.
• He also met with H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who is a UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education.
• Also today, the President delivered a lecture at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies on the United Nations’ role in preventing conflict in the 21st century.
• Asked if the President had discussed funding for United Nations agencies with the Qatari leadership, the Spokesperson said he was not aware that this topic had come up. However, in Kuwait the day before, the President had commended that country’s Amir for his support to the United Nations and his generous leadership, especially in the area of humanitarian aid. The President had also listened to views from Kuwait-based United Nations agencies, including about their needs.

PRESIDENT TO ATTEND WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM IN DAVOS

• Asked if the President would attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Spokesperson said that he would. The President was scheduled to arrive in Davos on 23 January.
• The Spokesperson later added that, while in Davos, the President would participate in a number of events on partnerships for and financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as on migration, Libya and Syria.