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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

12 November 2020

 

SPECIAL SESSION ON COVID-19 A NECESSARY STEP TO STRENGTHEN MULTILATERAL RESPONSE

  • Asked about the expected outcomes of the General Assembly’s special session on COVID-19, which would be held on 3-4 December, the Spokesperson said there would be a factual summary prepared by the President’s office. But what the meeting was really about was galvanizing action and bringing together Member States and different actors from the UN system, so that they could be on the same page and identify what was needed to fight the pandemic collectively.
  • Asked whether the President was satisfied with the General Assembly’s work so far on COVID-19, the Spokesperson said the President had been saying since his first day that he wanted to see the special session held as soon as possible. In fact, he felt that it was already too late, as the special session should have been held long ago.
  • The Spokesperson said the President was looking forward to the special session, which he saw as a necessary step, and felt that the General Assembly had to address this issue, which was so crucial to health in our world.
  • Asked what kind of response had been seen so far from Heads of State, and whether any had said if they would participate virtually or in person, the Spokesperson said he had nothing to report in terms of numbers. That would come later on, closer to the date of the special session.
  • He added that the interactive dialogue on the second day would take the form of a presentation by the head of the World Health Organization and a series of panels.  It was likely to be a hybrid format.  He said, “Having panelists in person would add value to the event, but we also recognize that that will not be possible in all cases.  So, once a decision on participants is made, conversations on in-person or virtual attendance will flow from that.” The Spokesperson added that he would keep journalists posted on that as the situation developed.

SECOND ROUND OF VOTING HELD FOR WORLD COURT JUDGES

  • The General Assembly’s vote to elect 5 International Court of Justice judges was inconclusive yesterday. Six candidates got the required majority of 97 votes. That includes the Rwandan candidate, who got exactly 97.
  • Another ballot with all 8 candidates was held this morning. The votes are being counted as we speak.
  • To recap, there are eight candidates running for five vacant seats. They are nationals of: China; Croatia; Germany; Japan; Nigeria; Rwanda; Slovakia; and Uganda.
  • [The results were announced after the Spokesperson’s briefing and can be found on the President’s web site.]

RESOURCES NEEDED TO COMBAT COVID-19 IMPACTS WHILE PURSUING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

  • The President delivered a virtual speech this morning to the annual meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 and China.
  • He said we must mobilize sufficient resources for countries to combat the impacts of COVID-19 while pursuing sustainable development. This pandemic has hit all of us, but not equally. Global extreme poverty is expected to rise in 2020 for the first time in over 20 years, he said.
  • He added that we need to lean into multilateral initiatives and take advantage of the opportunities provided by South-South and triangular cooperation.
  • He also said we must ensure fair and equitable access to vaccines – and noted that he will be advocating for ‘Vaccines for All’ during his tenure.

ASSEMBLY’S WORKING METHODS MUST BE ROBUST DURING PANDEMIC

  • This afternoon, the President will address a plenary meeting on revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.
  • He is expected to say that he looks forward to seeing the Secretary-General’s report on the impact of COVID-19 on the General Assembly’s work. That was requested by the most recent General Assembly revitalization resolution. It will be an opportunity to reflect on the steps that have taken to adapt to the unexpected challenges arising from the pandemic.
  • The President will say that working methods must be robust enough to continue our important work. The General Assembly cannot be seen to sit idle while the world around us attempts to address one of the greatest challenges in a generation.

ASSEMBLY CONSIDERS DECISION-MAKING PROCEDURES WHEN IN-PERSON MEETINGS NOT POSSIBLE

  • This afternoon in the plenary, the Assembly will take action on a draft decision entitled: “Procedure for decision-making in the General Assembly when an in-person meeting is not possible”.
  • That draft decision will be introduced by Liechtenstein on behalf of a group of Member States. It is currently cosponsored by more than forty delegations.
  • If the draft is adopted, the Assembly would — in the most exceptional circumstances — be able to adopt decisions by silence procedure and e-voting. This would be when an in-person meeting was not possible for a prolonged period of time, because of concrete and ongoing risks to the safety and well-being of UN delegates and staff.
  • Meanwhile, a draft amendment to that draft decision will be introduced by Cuba on behalf of a group of Member States. That draft amendment would limit this procedure to only essential draft decisions and resolutions – including those related to budgets, extending mandates and rescheduling and postponing meetings.

SPOKESPERSON REITERATES IMPORTANCE ATTACHED BY PRESIDENT TO PALESTINE ISSUE

  • The Spokesperson was asked why he had not highlighted a virtual event entitled “International Parliamentarians and the Palestine Question”, which had been organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP), at his briefing.
  • The Spokesperson replied that he normally flagged activities in the General Assembly plenary and its Main Committees, as opposed to subsidiary organs of the General Assembly such as the CEIRPP or the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ). The fact that he had not mentioned a specific event should not be seen as a deliberate omission.
  • Asked whether he did not consider a Palestine-related event to be newsworthy enough to flag, the Spokesperson reiterated the importance that the President attached to the issue of Palestine, as he had made clear to journalists at his press conference on 15 September.

NO MEETING CONFIRMED YET BETWEEN PRESIDENT & NEW YORK GOVERNOR

  • Asked for an update on the President’s request to meet with the Governor of New York, the Spokesperson said he was not aware of any reply that had been received. He later informed the journalist that the President’s office had exchanged several messages with the Governor’s scheduling office. But no meeting date had been confirmed yet.
  • Responding to further questions about the President’s request to meet the Mayor of New York City, the Spokesperson noted that the Mayor’s office had offered to make another official available to meet. However, it was important for the President, as the UN’s top elected official, to meet with New York City’s top elected official directly.

PRESIDENT TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE IN EARLY DECEMBER

  • Asked when the President would hold his next press conference, the Spokesperson said the President was planning to speak to the media right before the General Assembly’s special session on COVID-19. The date currently being looked at for the press conference was 1 December.