Making the United Nations Relevant to all PeoplePRESS BRIEFING BY MONICA GRAYLEY, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT MARÍA FERNANDA ESPINOSA
Good afternoon, everyone!
I hope you are well today as we start another week…
PGA MEETS PRIME-MINISTER OF CHINA ON DAY 1 OF OFFICIAL VISIT
The President of the General Assembly has arrived in Beijing for the first day of her official visit to the People’s Republic of China.
Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa met with the Chinese Prime-Minister, H.E. Mr. Li Keqiang, and the country’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister, H.E. Wang Yi.
The PGA is focusing on China’s cooperation with the United Nations, the revitalization of the UN, multilateralism and the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development among other topics.
Following her meeting with the country’s Foreign Minister, Ms. Espinosa’s Twitter account stressed the need for a greater global cooperation at a time when multilateralism “is needed more than ever”.
Ms. Espinosa also commended China’s “example in combating poverty and inequality” during her meeting with the Prime Minister.
On Tuesday 18 June, the PGA is expected to hold an interactive dialogue with the academic community and meet with representatives of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation.
The President of the General Assembly will return to New York on 20 June.
GA HOLDS INFORMAL MEETING ON HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Member States are holding informal consultations today on the Political Declaration of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
The meeting will take place on 24 and 25 September 2019, in New York, under the auspices of the GA.
A revised draft of the political declaration was circulated by the President of the General Assembly on 10 June for the consideration of all permanent representatives and permanent observers to the UN.
The political declaration includes a call to accelerated action and commitments by Member States with regard to the implementation on the 2030 Agenda on sustainable development.
Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa appointed two co-facilitators for the intergovernmental consultations process, the Ambassador of the Bahamas, H.E. Ms. Sheila Gweneth Carey and the Permanent Representative of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Olof Skoog.
The draft of the political declaration indicates a more ambitious path to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, as well the urgent need to accelerate action on all levels and by all stakeholders to make the 2030 Agenda a reality for all.
The entire text can be found on our website in the section documents titled “letters”.
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS RESOLUTION TO CELEBRATE THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UN
On Friday, the General Assembly adopted a draft resolution from 28 May 2019 on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations.
On her Twitter account, the PGA said that “this will be a unique opportunity and a landmark moment to reflect on our past, look to the future and also reaffirm our collective commitment to multilateralism”.
Ms. Espinosa is grateful to the Ambassador of Iceland, H.E, Ms. Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, and to the Permanent Representative of Singapore, H.E. Mr. Burhan Gafoor, who were appointed as co-facilitators for the negotiations on the modalities for the commemoration.
The resolution was adopted by consensus. The theme of the 75th Anniversary will be: “The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism”.
The high-level meeting of the GA to celebrate the anniversary will take place on 21 September 2020 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will be attended by Heads of State and Government. More information on our website www.un.org/pga/73
This is all for today. Do you have any questions?
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