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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

23 February 2021

 

UKRAINE: ASSEMBLY HOLDS DEBATE ON TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

  • The General Assembly is currently holding a debate on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
  • There are 31 speakers on the list.
  • In his introductory remarks, the President said that, as signatories to the Charter, Member States are obliged to respect each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom and political independence.
  • He welcomed the ceasefire that came into force in Ukraine last July and urged all parties to continue to respect and uphold that agreement.
  • He also strongly urged all parties to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict, on the basis of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, through direct political dialogue and other peaceful mechanisms.

 

MYANMAR: SPECIAL ENVOY TO BRIEF MEMBER STATES THIS FRIDAY

  • The Spokesperson was asked why the General Assembly’s meeting on Myanmar, to be held on Friday, 26 February, was classified as “informal”. The Spokesperson replied that, regardless of the classification, the meeting would be webcast so that media could watch the Special Envoy’s briefing and hear how she answered Member States’ questions.
  • The Spokesperson later clarified that the idea behind the Myanmar meeting was for the Special Envoy to provide a briefing for Member States, and briefings were done in “informal” settings.
  • Asked which Member States had requested this meeting, the Spokesperson noted that the President had received a written request on 16 February from representatives of Canada, Costa Rica, The Gambia, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States, as well as the European Union.
  • At the same time, the Spokesperson noted that the meeting would have happened regardless, as the Special Envoy on Myanmar was mandated by a General Assembly resolution to “report to Member States every six months, or as warranted by the situation on the ground”.

 

ACTION EXPECTED ON HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON A.I.D.S.

  • Today, the General Assembly plenary will take action on a draft resolution, which would mandate a high-level meeting to review progress on commitments made in the 2016 Political Declaration towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
  • The envisioned dates for this high-level meeting, which normally takes place every five years, are 8 to 10 June 2021.
  • The plenary will also take action on two draft amendments to the resolution, one of which will be presented by the United Kingdom on behalf of a group of Member States, and another presented by the Russian Federation, also on behalf of a group.

 

“WE CAN ONLY RECOVER BETTER TOGETHER,” PRESIDENT TELLS GLOBAL CITIZEN

  • The President sent a video message today to Global Citizen as it launched a new yearlong campaign, called “Recovery Plan for the World.”
  • In the message, the President said that, over the past year, Governments have been discussing COVID-19 and its associated challenges at the General Assembly.
  • He added, “We have considered the views of the experts. We have listened to the most vulnerable. We have heard from representatives from across the globe. The resounding message rings clear: We can only recover better together.”