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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

11 July 2018

On the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the sixth and final round of talks are underway this week.
Member States engaged in discussions on Monday and Tuesday.
And today, the co-facilitators of the process, who are the Permanent Representatives of Mexico and Switzerland, will share the final text with Member States.
No meetings are being held today, so that delegations have time to consult with their capitals.
The final text is then expected to be agreed this Friday.
After the agreement on Friday, a press conference will be held with the President, the co-facilitators and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbour. The exact time is still to be determined.

Today is World Population Day.
On Twitter, the President reaffirmed the importance of family planning as a human right and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ensuring prosperous lives for future generations.

Member States have agreed on the text of a draft resolution on the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The date for the General Assembly plenary to take action on this draft is yet to be determined.
This is the first time that the Assembly has reviewed ECOSOC since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The last such review took place four years ago, and the next review will happen in the 74th session.

This Friday, Member States will meet for their final consultations on aligning the work of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in light of the 2030 Agenda.
They will discuss elements for inclusion in the annual resolution on the revitalization of the General Assembly.

This Friday, the General Assembly plenary will hold its by-election to fill the current vacancy on the Human Rights Council.
That vacancy is from the Western European and Other States Group.
The term of the elected Member State will start on the date of the election and expire on 31 December 2019.
The by-election will take place on Friday at 10:00 a.m. in Conference Room 2.

Asked for updates on Security Council reform, the Spokesperson said the General Assembly had adopted an oral rollover decision on 29 June, by which it decided to continue intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform at its seventy-third session.
Aside from that, there were no further updates at this time, the Spokesperson said.