PRESS BRIEFING BY BRENDEN VARMA, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT VOLKAN BOZKIR

ASSEMBLY’S 4^TH COMMITTEE STARTS JOINT GENERAL DEBATE

• This afternoon, the President will address the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee – or Special Political and Decolonization Committee – which starts its Joint General Debate today.
• The President is expected to highlight four areas of the Committee’s work: decolonization; peacekeeping; Palestinian issues; and outer space.
• On decolonization, he will say that, while much progress had been made, 17 cases still require attention. In that regard, the self-determination of all colonial countries and peoples should be implemented in accordance with the UN Charter.
• On peacekeeping, he is expected to call for better support for UN peacekeepers.
• On the Middle East, he will advocate for continued support for Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict and achieve the vision of two States living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines.
• He is expected to note that the Fourth Committee plays a critical role in keeping this conflict and the plight of the Palestinians on the international agenda.
• And he will note the need of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for predictable and sustained funding.
• On outer space, he is expected to stress that its preservation for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of humankind, without discrimination, is a shared responsibility. And space-based services and technologies can help to address key issues relating to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Asked whether the President favored increased support to UN peacekeepers, the Spokesperson encouraged the journalist to follow the President’s speech, which would be delivered later that afternoon. He noted that the President would be suggesting actions that could be taken in order to better support UN peacekeepers, who put their own lives on the line, and to better serve the people they protect.

PRESIDENT ENCOURAGES “SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE” IN TALKS ON COVID-19 SPECIAL SESSION

• On the General Assembly special session on COVID-19, the next round of consultations on the relevant draft resolution will be held tomorrow morning. That resolution, once adopted, will determine the special session’s scope, format, date and outcome.
• The consultations will be led by the co-facilitators of this process, the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan and the Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada.
• In a letter last night, the President transmitted the latest draft to Member States. And he echoed the co-facilitators’ appeal for a spirit of compromise so that this important session can be organized promptly and before the end of the year.
• Asked whether the special session would address rises in tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS cases, which were attributed to the effects of COVID-19, the Spokesperson said the scope would be determined by the resolution, which was currently being negotiated by the Member States.
• Asked how one vaccine would be able to address multiple strains of COVID-19, the Spokesperson clarified that he was not a biologist or scientist. Rather, his role was to communicate what the General Assembly was doing with respect to COVID-19. Member States were currently discussing which topics would be covered by the special session. For the President’s part, he wanted the special session to be held as soon as possible.

PRESIDENT CALLS FOR INVESTMENT ON INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

• In a video message to mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the President said it is clear we were not prepared for COVID-19. But we can learn from this experience.
• Calling for all countries to invest in disaster risk reduction, he stressed that we all have a role to play.

MOST STATEMENTS AT NUCLEAR WEAPONS MEETING WERE VIDEO MESSAGES

• Asked whether representatives of certain Member States had been physically in the room during the UN high-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on 2 October, the Spokesperson noted that the great majority of statements delivered that day by Member State representatives had been video messages.
• He later urged the journalist to contact the Missions of the countries she was asking about – to ascertain their presence that day.