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

PRESIDENT SADDENED BY NEW YORK MAYOR’S LACK OF AVAILABILITY

• The following is a statement on the City of New York, attributable directly to the President:
• “On the eve of United Nations Day, I fondly acknowledge the deep ties that have always existed between our Organization and the City of New York.
• “The United Nations has been proud to call the City its home since the middle of the last century. We are happy to generate billions of dollars in economic benefits and tens of thousands of jobs in New York City. Through our presence, it is a privilege to contribute to and enhance New York’s status as a cosmopolitan and dynamic global city.
• “COVID-19 has deeply hurt New Yorkers, including the United Nations staff and delegates who consider the City to be their hometown. In order to defeat the virus, we all need to band together in solidarity. The United Nations and New York must collaborate more closely than ever.
• “It was in that context that I requested a meeting with the Mayor of New York City. The pandemic requires communications at the highest level. As the representative of 193 countries, and a leader of one of the City’s most politically significant resident bodies, I consider it necessary to foster dialogue and coordination between our two administrations.
• “I was saddened to learn that the Mayor was unavailable to meet with me. This lack of interaction concerns me as policies devised by the City of New York directly affect the work of the United Nations and by extension millions of lives across the globe. Nevertheless, I will continue my work as President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, in the hopes of protecting the world’s most vulnerable populations and advancing efforts towards a healthier and more sustainable planet. I hope the City of New York will continue to be a strong partner in that regard.”
• Asked if the President had felt “snubbed” by the Mayor, the Spokesperson said the President had been saddened and disappointed because he had reached out two weeks ago to seek an appointment with the Mayor and had only received a response a few days ago, declining the meeting request. The President felt it was important to foster coordination between the top elected official of the United Nations and the top elected official of New York City so that he could ensure that the General Assembly was able to function properly and that everyone was safe.
• Asked about what the President had hoped to achieve by meeting the Mayor, and whether that was linked to pandemic-related restrictions and quarantines, the Spokesperson declined to speculate on a meeting that had not ended up happening. There were certain messages that some Member States had wanted the President to transmit to the Mayor. These were messages that the President had wished to convey to the Mayor personally. They were not for public consumption.
• Asked whether the President would be seeking a meeting with the Governor of New York as well, as the Governor was responsible for policies that may be of concern to Member States, the Spokesperson said that the President’s office had indeed reached out to the Governor’s office and was awaiting a response. Asked when the President had requested the meeting with the Governor, the Spokesperson later told the journalist that it had been on 16 October.
• Asked whether the President had intended to discuss the General Assembly’s special session on COVID-19 with the Mayor, the Spokesperson noted that the special session’s modalities were still in the hands of the Member States. They were still discussing the dates and format. In that regard, it would be too early for the President to discuss the special session with external interlocutors.
• In response to a further question, the Spokesperson said the President hoped that his statement would help the Mayor understand how important this meeting was to him, as well as the significance he attached to dialogue and coordination between UN and local officials. Ultimately, it was important for the President to ensure that the General Assembly was functioning as effectively as possible.
• Pressed on what kinds of issues would be discussed between the President and elected officials in New York, the Spokesperson said one issue would be the way in which COVID-19 was affecting the work of the United Nations.
• Asked whether the President’s goal was to discuss “the UN opening up more meetings amid the pandemic”, the Spokesperson said the President had already been quite vocal about the need for the General Assembly to return to its normal way of functioning. He had been advocating for more in-person meetings, and the General Assembly was already holding such meetings. This was something that the President wished to see continue. He felt that in-person diplomacy was key to how the UN operated and helped people around the world, and he would continue to push for that in New York and elsewhere.
• Asked whether the President was reaching out to any former Mayors of New York, the Spokesperson said he was not aware of any such outreach and reiterated that the President had been focused on the current Mayor.
• Asked whether the Mayor’s office had provided a reason for not meeting with the President, the Spokesperson said that no concrete reason had been provided.
• Asked if the President could meet with a liaison officer from the Mayor’s office, the Spokesperson noted that the Mayor’s office had offered a meeting with New York City’s International Affairs Commissioner. However, it was important for the President, as the UN’s top elected official, to meet directly with New York City’s top elected official.
• Asked about historical precedents for Presidents of the General Assembly meeting with New York City Mayors, the Spokesperson noted that he was not a historian and invited the journalist to conduct that research himself.
• Asked whether the President had requested an in-person meeting with the Mayor or whether he would have been happy with a virtual meeting, the Spokesperson said the President preferred in-person meetings in general, and would have been very happy to travel to the Mayor’s office for such a meeting.

MEMBERS NAMED FOR PRESIDENT’S NEW GENDER ADVISORY GROUP

• In a letter to Member States, the President has said that the Gender Advisory Group he recently created will be comprised of six individuals with long-standing experience and expertise on issues concerning gender equality and women’s empowerment in the multilateral system.
• The members are: the President of the Bureau of the UN Women Executive Board, Ambassador Jukka Salovaara; the Senior Gender Adviser of the Secretary-General, Nahla Valji; the CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, Sanda Ojiambo; the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences, Dubravka Simonovic; NGO CSW’s Principal Investigator, Soon Young-Yoon; and the Permanent Observer of the Inter-parliamentary Union, Patricia A. Torsney.
• The President will convene the inaugural meeting of the Gender Advisory Group on 10 November. This Group will support his work in mainstreaming gender equality and women’s empowerment throughout the General Assembly, with the aim of improving the lives of women and girls around the globe.

ASSEMBLY TO MARK U.N. DAY ON MONDAY

• The General Assembly will mark UN Day on Monday 26 October at 9:00 a.m. The programme will feature opening in-person statements by the President of the General Assembly, the Secretary-General and the Presidents of the Security Council and Economic and Social Council.
• There will also be a panel discussion, reflecting on the UN’s work and future. That will be moderated by the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth. Panelists will include: Ambassador Yoka Brandt of the Netherlands; Maher Nasser, Director of the UN Department of Global Communications’ Outreach Division; and staff from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and World Food Programme.