HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY REEM ABAZA, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TIJJANI MUHAMMAD-BANDE
Elections without plenary meetings
The President of the UN General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande held a virtual meeting yesterday afternoon with the chairs of the regional groups to discuss options for elections without plenary meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting included a presentation by Mr. Movses Abelian, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), on the possible options for elections.
As you know the General Assembly is scheduled to hold 4 elections in June. Those are of:
- non-permanent members of the Security Council;
- members of the Economic and Social Council;
- the President of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly; and
- the Vice-Presidents of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly.
The options, prepared by DGACM, include elections requiring secret ballots, with Member States casting of ballots at a specific venue or by electronic means.
Details about all these options are available on the PGA’s website.
I have to note that decisions will be taken soon regarding meetings scheduled in June.
e-Voting meeting
You may remember that I mentioned during the last briefing that the PGA has appointed the Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the UN as facilitator for the e-voting process (excluding elections).
Ambassador Courtenay Rattray invited Member States and Observers to participate in a virtual meeting today at 3 to discuss and explore ways of taking decisions in the General Assembly by vote, within the context of the current restrictions surrounding the holding of large in-person gatherings in plenary during the (COVID-19) pandemic.
Virtual Town hall
Earlier in the week, the General Assembly Co-coordinators for COVID-19 related initiatives, the Permanent Representatives of Afghanistan and Croatia to the UN, held a virtual town hall meeting with Member States.
The PGA said, at the meeting, that the only way out of the pandemic is solidarity. COVID-19 has highlighted how connected we are and showcased our dependency on each other. It also teaches us that no country is equipped to fight this challenge alone.
Mr. Muhammad-Bande added that “the General Assembly needs to speak with one voice. COVID-19 is an unprecedented test, but it also comes with opportunities to send a strong political message to the international community and ultimately to shape the world we want to see coming out of this crisis: as nations, united.”
Press Freedom Day
Sunday is World Press Freedom Day. In his message for the occasion the PGA said that the “crucial role of journalism is even more relevant in the unprecedented wake of COVID-19, when our very lives depend on a balanced perspective of unbiased information, constructive public debates and credible accountability.”
The PGA added that the “coronavirus disease pandemic has given new rise to flows of misinformation, as well as biased news, amplifying threats to press freedom around the world. We must continue to defend a free world press.”
Click here for the PGA’s message.
NAM event
On Monday the President of the General Assembly will be participating in a virtual High-Level meeting organized by the Chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement. The PGA is expected to stress on the importance of multilateralism and solidarity to defeat COVID-19 and other common challenges.
We will share the remarks on Monday.
