Making the United Nations Relevant to all PeoplePRESS BRIEFING BY MONICA GRAYLEY, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT MARÍA FERNANDA ESPINOSA
Good afternoon, everyone!
I will start with a save the date for your diaries…
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA TO HOST CONCERT ON PGA’S GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST PLASTIC POLLUTION
On 1 June, the President of the General Assembly will be in Antigua and Barbuda for the global concert ‘Play it Out’ featuring international performers such as Grammy-Award winning singer, Ashanti, Cody Simpson, reggae star Rocky Dawani, Machel Montano, DJ Robin Schulz, Nico & Vinz, Band St. Lucia and Bomba Estereo.
The concert forms part of the PGA’s global campaign against plastic pollution and single-use plastics.
The event is being supported by the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Norway, and other partners such as UNOPS, the Krimm Group (TKG) and Lonely Whale.
Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa believes that collective action can help to turn the tide against the crisis of plastic pollution.
The PGA appeals to responsible consumers everywhere to #BeatPlasticPollution by rejecting the use of single use items such as plastic straws and plastic bags. For example, every year almost 1 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide with an average of 2 million a minute. Only nine percent of plastics are recycled.
The concert will be hosted by actress Meagan Good and advocate Amanda Cerny. Hollywood actor and UN Environment ambassador Adam Grenier will join the PGA and her team in Antigua to “ring the closing bell on single-use plastics”.
The entire event on Saturday at the Sir Vivian Richards National Stadium in Antigua will be live-streamed by UN Web TV. The stadium can accommodate 20 thousand people and admissions are free of charge.
More information on our dedicated website: https://www.un.org/pga/73/playitout/
You also can download the promotional spot for the event from our YouTube channel https://bit.ly/30RH9fmand https://bit.ly/2Kb5ExV follow the PGA’s and the PlayitOut’s Twitter accounts for live updates.
GA MEETS ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM ON 29 AND 30 MAY
The General Assembly is hosting today and tomorrow informal closed meetings of the plenary on the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Council.
The PGA sent letters on 18 February and on 7 May to all permanent representatives and permanent observers on the meetings. Delegations were previously inscribed to speak today. The session tomorrow will be interactive and with a pre-determined list of speakers.
Member States are focusing on five key issues or clusters: categories of membership; the question of the veto; regional representation, size of an enlarged Security Council (SC) and working methods of the Council, as well as the relationship between the SC and the General Assembly (GA).
Ms. Espinosa appointed two co-chairs to the Intergovernmental Group of Negotiations (IGN): The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). H. E Ms. Lana Zaki Nusseibeh and H.E. Ambassador Christian Braun, of Luxembourg, who are expected to present an outcome document on the negotiations, which are being led by Member States.
This is all from us today. Do you have anything else?
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