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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

16 July 2018

NO TIME TO WASTE IN MEETING GLOBAL GOALS, PRESIDENT TELLS HIGH-LEVEL FORUM

  • The President spoke this morning at the opening of the ministerial segment of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development.
  • He said, “At the end of this High-Level Political Forum, 112 countries will have volunteered to present reviews of their work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This makes up well over half of the United Nations’ membership.
  • “So, it is clear we are committed. But commitment is not enough. We need to see results on the ground. And we have no time to waste.”

 

PRESIDENT MEETS OFFICIALS FROM SINGAPORE, JAPAN, EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

  • The President is holding a number of meetings today with officials who are at the United Nations for the High-Level Political Forum.
  • Those are with Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources; the Mayor of Osaka and Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan; and a delegation from the European Parliament.

 

LOCAL, REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS KEY IN IMPLEMENTING 2030 AGENDA

  • The President today delivered the opening statement at the Local and Regional Governments’ Forum.
  • He said, “Local and regional actors are critical in implementing the 2030 Agenda. Sustainable development is necessarily local, regional and global in nature. So, we need dialogue at all of these levels.”

 

PRESIDENT CONVENES HIGH-LEVEL DIALOGUE ON SAND & DUST STORMS

  • This afternoon the President will convene a mandated high-level interactive dialogue on sand and dust storms in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber.
  • The event will feature a panel discussion moderated by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment. Panellists will include Iran’s Director General for International Environmental and Sustainable Development, as well as officials from the United Nations Environment Programme, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the World Meteorological Organization.
  • In his opening remarks, the President is expected to note the effects of such storms on health – from respiratory and cardiovascular disease to skin and eye problems. He will say that, “for people, the stakes of inaction on this issue are high. Human well-being is at risk.”

 

YOUNG PEOPLE EMBRACING CHANGE, WHICH IS EXEMPLARY

  • The President will speak this afternoon at an event to mark World Youth Skills Day.
  • He is expected to say that young people are coming up with solutions for the planet.
  • And rather than being scared of change, they are embracing it, which is an example for the rest of us to follow.
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