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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

20 February 2018

The first round of negotiations on the global compact on safe, orderly and regular migration kicked off this morning.
In his remarks, the President said migration is a fact of life. And that is the way it will always be. So we can either put our heads in the sand. Or we can take action, plan ahead, put a system in place, and respond to a global phenomenon with a global solution.
The President added that if we reach a strong agreement, we will all win. He said we cannot see these negotiations as a way to strengthen our own positions. We must see them as an opportunity to strengthen our own United Nations.
The zero draft of the compact was made public earlier this month.

This afternoon, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly will hold its first meeting of the session.
In his remarks, the President is expected to say that the General Assembly is the epicentre of our multilateral system. A strong United Nations is not possible without a strong General Assembly. And the future of the United Nations depends on the future of the General Assembly.
Asked to elaborate on the President’s position that the future of the United Nations depended on the future of the General Assembly, the Spokesperson explained that the General Assembly was the only United Nations organ where every Member State had a seat and equal vote, irrespective of size, wealth or power. Because the General Assembly was such a representative body and the chief deliberative organ of the United Nations, the President believed that the relevance of the United Nations was firmly tied to the strength of this organ. That was why the President wanted to see a revitalized General Assembly that was as strong and effective as possible.
Asked what the President thought of the Security Council and how it was handling issues in the Middle East, the Spokesperson said it was not for the President to comment on the work of another United Nations organ. The Security Council had its own President, and the focus of the President of the General Assembly remained the General Assembly.

The President addressed a high-level seminar this morning entitled “Humanitarian Negotiation and International Mediation: Building Bridges”.
He noted that humanitarian actors and political mediators engage in dialogue – but not always with each other. That had to be addressed.
He added that humanitarian action must be based solely on the needs of people. And it must be independent of political and military objectives. But, unfortunately, this is not always the reality on the ground.
It is therefore important to proceed cautiously with the aim of finding a balance, he said.

The President will address an event this afternoon, entitled “Science for Water”. It is being convened by UNESCO and the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
He is expected to say that water runs through every Sustainable Development Goal and affects us all – from Cape Town, South Africa, to Flint, Michigan. And he will call for science to be used to solve the world’s water-related problems.

Asked whether the President would be meeting with H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine, the Spokesperson said that the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations had not requested such a meeting.
If a request were received, the President would of course be open to meeting with Mr. Abbas.
Asked why the President was meeting with Professor Jeffrey Sachs this afternoon, the Spokesperson noted that Professor Sachs was a member of the President’s Team of External Advisors.
As such, the two interacted from time to time to engage in dialogue and exchange ideas. Today’s meeting was being held in that context.

HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY SPOKESPERSON – 20 FEBRUARY 2018