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

PRESIDENT WRAPS UP VISIT TO GREECE

• The President is currently in Rhodes, Greece.
• Today, at the Third Rhodes Conference for Security and Stability, he participated in a session on the digital economy.
• While in Greece, he met with the Foreign Minister of Albania. They discussed the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, and regional developments.
• He also met with the Foreign Minister of Cyprus. They spoke about the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, migration and regional developments.
• The President will be back in the office on Monday.

ASSEMBLY ADOPTS NEW RESOLUTIONS ON MOLDOVA & CENTRAL ASIA, ELECTS WORLD COURT JUDGE

• This morning the General Assembly plenary had before it two new draft resolutions.
• One was entitled “Complete and unconditional withdrawal of foreign military forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova”.
• The Russian Federation proposed adjournment of the debate on that matter through a no action motion. However, that motion was defeated by a vote of 24 in favour to 80 against with 48 abstentions.
• The resolution was then adopted with 64 votes in favour to 15 against with 83 abstentions.
• The other draft resolution was entitled “Strengthening regional and international cooperation to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region.” It was adopted by consensus.
• The plenary also held by-elections to fill a vacancy that had arisen in the International Court of Justice. Yuji Iwasawa of Japan was elected. He received 184 votes in the General Assembly.

FIFTH COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER MANAGEMENT REFORM THIS AFTERNOON

• Asked for updates about the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, the Spokesperson said that it was going to consider management reform this afternoon.
• In response to further questions, he added that the Fifth Committee’s consideration of the Secretary-General’s Global Service Delivery Model (GSDM) report was still pending. There was no date to announce for when consideration of that report would continue.
• The Spokesperson said that the Member States in the Fifth Committee were continuing their work.