HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY REEM ABAZA, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TIJJANI MUHAMMAD-BANDE

United Nations Headquarters, New York

Multilateralism

I’d like to start with today’s virtual event organized by the International Peace Institute (IPI), in partnership with the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the Asia Society Policy Institute on “The Importance of Multilateralism in the Time of a Global Pandemic: Responding to COVID-19.”.

The President of the General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande said        “In the face of mounting challenges, we are reminded of the indispensability of the United Nations and of multilateral institutions more broadly. The UN has provided from the onset a forum to address this global challenge in a coordinated way. We must, therefore, continue to support the World Health Organization to overcome this challenge and to prevent future pandemics.”

Financing for Development

Yesterday, the PGA spoke at the informal virtual meeting of the 2020 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for development. He said that mobilising sufficient resources will be essential in order to effectively combat COVID-19. He added that “while no country will be spared from the economic impact of this crisis, developing countries will be hit the hardest, even if they do not experience an outbreak of COVID-19.”

The PGA said: In order to minimise the real risks of rising debt levels, we need political will and steadfast international cooperation. He called on all Member States to help ensure crucial liquidity in many developing countries suffering from a heavy debt burden. 

Co-coordinators

Just in case you haven’t seen my email, earlier this week the PGA announced the appointment of Mrs. Adela Raz, the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, and Mr. Ivan Šimonović, Permanent Representative of Croatia, as co-coordinators for the General Assembly on COVID-19-related initiatives.

The co-coordinators will engage with Member States in order to  facilitate the exchange of views, coordinate approaches and initiatives, as well as leverage the influence of the Assembly to effectively advocate for measures aimed at defeating COVID-19, while mitigating its social and economic impact.

In a letter sent to Member States, the President of the General Assembly said that from his engagement with Member States and consultations with the General Committee, it is evident that everyone agrees on the need  for more coordination in the response to the ongoing global crisis.

Voting

With the limitations on holding large in-person meetings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several Member States have requested that we explore ways of taking decisions of the General Assembly by a vote.

The UN Secretariat prepared documents to guide discussions regarding voting (excluding elections) without a plenary meeting during the (COVID-19) pandemic” and on the e-Recorded Vote system.  The PGA has sent a letter to Member States informing them that he has appointed H. E. Mr. Courtenay Rattray, Permanent Representative of Jamaica, to facilitate the discussions on this matter.

Member States would cast their votes by an appropriate electronic means. DGACM has developed a system in the e-deleGATE portal that would allow for a recorded vote without a plenary meeting. The system would allow a Member State to cast its vote on a form provided in e-deleGATE and to remove or modify its vote during the voting process, if necessary.