PRESS BRIEFING BY REEM ABAZA, SPOKESPERSON FOR

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TIJJANI MUHAMMAD-BANDE

United Nations Headquarters, New York

16 January 2020

G77 

Yesterday afternoon the President of the General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande spoke at the handover ceremony of the chairmanship of the G77. 

He congratulated the Co-operative Republic of Guyana for its election as Chair of the Group and commended Palestine for its excellent stewardship.

He said that the 75th anniversary of the United Nations presents us with an opportunity to galvanise multilateral action and commitment to ensure that we eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, tackle climate change, address conflicts and uphold human rights among others.

You can find the full remarks on the PGA’s website.

IDA

Also yesterday the PGA participated at an event on the International Development Association (IDA). He said that fulfilling the commitment to the people we serve, requires that the international donor community accelerates access to development finance, adding that the official development assistance is declining.

He stressed on the urgent need to bridge the financing gap to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

G20

On Tuesday the PGA attended a briefing by the G20 Saudi Presidency, to the General Assembly.

The President said that “this briefing provides an opportunity for us all to deepen the partnership and strengthen the dialogue between the G20 and the wider membership of the United Nations. Conversations like this are key to bolstering multilateralism and joint efforts.”

Priorities

And of course, on Monday the PGA briefed Member States on his priorities.

He said: while the United Nations has, sadly, failed in some instances, there is no doubt that overall, it has been a force for good all these years. Among other things, it has successfully ensured that a war near the scale of the one that led to its creation has not occurred.

UAE/IRENA

Last week the PGA was in the United Arab Emirates where he participated in the 10th session of the Assembly of the International Organization for Renewable Energy (IRENA).

He said that “despite our disappointment with the international community’s inability to reach consensus during COP25 on climate, we are here to chart a way forward on Renewable Energy.”

He warned of the consequences of inaction that could lead to the displacement of 280 million people from coastal areas and islands by 2050.

The PGA met high level officials and discussed the importance of global cooperation and solidarity, the need to accelerate the implementation of the Global Goals and ways to strengthen the cooperation between the UN and UAE.