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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

10 August 2018

ASSEMBLY APPROVES APPOINTMENT OF NEXT U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS CHIEF

  • The General Assembly met this morning to consider the proposal by the Secretary-General to appoint Michelle Bachelet of Chile as the next UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
  • The Assembly decided by acclamation to approve the appointment.
  • Following that decision, 11 delegations took the floor. And Cuba, Venezuela and the United States exercised the right of reply.

 

PRESIDENT SUBMITS FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENT TO ETHICS OFFICE

  • The President submitted his financial disclosure statement to the Ethics Office today, for review by an external reviewer.
  • This is in line with General Assembly resolution 70/305 on “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”.
  • According to that resolution, the Assembly “decides that Presidents of the General Assembly shall provide financial disclosures upon assumption and completion of their duties, in line with the existing United Nations financial disclosure programme”.

 

PRESIDENT DISCUSSES GLOBAL GOALS WITH “ECUCATION FOR SHARING” FOUNDER

  • This morning, the President met with Dina Buchbinder, a Mexican social entrepreneur who founded the non-profit group Education for Sharing.
  • They discussed her efforts to teach young people about the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

PRESIDENT TO RETURN TO SLOVAK FOREIGN MINISTRY & CHAIR O.S.C.E. AFTER TERM ENDS

  • Asked about the President’s plans for after his presidency, the Spokesperson said that he would resume his duties as the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia. The Spokesperson noted that, during this session of the General Assembly, President Lajčák had appointed an acting official to manage the Ministry’s day-to-day business in his absence.
  • Asked whether the President would also continue to hold a position at the United Nations, the Spokesperson said that President Lajčák would already have his hands full at the Ministry, especially since, in his capacity as Slovak Foreign Minister, he would be chairing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2019.
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