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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

19 November 2020

 

PRESIDENT NAMED AN INTERNATIONAL GENDER CHAMPION AS HIS GENDER ADVISORY GROUP HOLDS FIRST MEETING

  • The President was named today as an International Gender Champion by International Gender Champions, a leadership network that brings together female and male decision-makers to break down gender barriers.
  • In connection with that, he said, “For generations, women have endured undue discrimination, marginalization, and hardship. We must ensure that no woman feels the need to justify her presence. And we must ensure that no woman is under threat, underpaid, or underestimated, for the work she carries out. No one should be limited by a glass ceiling or held down by a Velcro floor.”
  • The President also committed to creating an Advisory Group on Gender Equality and actively recruiting women to his office, including at the senior levels.
  • In related news, this afternoon, the President will hold his first meeting with that new Advisory Group on Gender Equality. He will lay out his expectations and hear from the members on how they can support his objective of incorporating gender equality into his initiatives and mandates throughout the 75th session.
  • The Advisory Group will also start working on a roadmap for governance and strategy to bolster the President’s gender equality priority.

PRESIDENT SAYS NO COUNTRY HAS GENDER EQUALITY AS “BEIJING+25” SUMMARY RELEASED

  • The President will be releasing today the official summary of the high-level meeting to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women – or “Beijing+25” – which he convened last month.
  • Over 40 Heads of State and Government, and more than 100 Ministers addressed that meting and committed to accelerating gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls around the world.
  • In a video accompanying today’s summary release, the President says no country in the world has successfully achieved gender equality – and is therefore time to level the playing field.

LACK OF SANITATION DURING PANDEMIC IS ALARMING, PRESIDENT SAYS ON WORLD TOILET DAY

  • Today is World Toilet Day, and the President sent a video message to a virtual event to mark the occasion – co-hosted by the Permanent Missions of Singapore, India and Nigeria.
  • In his remarks, he noted that 2 billion people don’t have a decent toilet of their own, and 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities at home.
  • He said, “The fact that nearly half the world’s population doesn’t have basic handwashing facilities in the midst of a global pandemic should alarm us all.”

PROTECTING DEMOCRACY REQUIRES SUSTAINED EFFORT

  • The President will address a virtual event this afternoon organized by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
  • He is expected to say that enabling and protecting democracy requires sustained effort; that we must strengthen our democratic mechanisms to ensure their legitimacy; and that we must engage all elements of our societies, so they do not lose faith in the institutions that have been built to serve them.

ASSEMBLY’S LEGAL COMMITTEE TAKES ACTION ON 20 TEXTS BEFORE WRAPPING UP WORK

  • The Sixth Committee, which handles legal matters, plans to take action on all agenda items at its meeting this afternoon, thereby concluding its work one day earlier than planned.
  • The Committee will take action on 20 texts – including 19 draft resolutions and 1 draft decision. This includes requests for observer status in the General Assembly.