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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

17 March 2021

 

PRESIDENT CONDEMNS SHOCKING KILLINGS IN NIGER

  • The President said this morning that he condemned the shocking killing of 58 civilians – including 6 children – who were returning from a weekly market in western Niger.
  • He said he was also concerned by the effects of such cruel terrorist acts on crucial humanitarian work.
  • He added that his thoughts were with the Government and people of Niger.

 

PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RELIGION-BASED DISCRIMINATION AT ISLAMOPHOBIA EVENT

  • The President spoke this morning at a virtual high-level event to commemorate the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
  • In his remarks, he said that any form of discrimination based on religion or belief, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, is a deeply personal attack, often made worse for minority groups who may not receive protection, support or empathy.
  • He said we must take all measures necessary to stop attacks against places of worship.
  • He added that each of us has an individual responsibility to: be vigilant; call out any injustice we witness; and condemn intolerance, incitement and harassment based on ethnic origin or religious belief.

 

SAFEGUARDING WOMEN’S ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE IS KEY TO ENDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

  • Also this morning, the President addressed a side event of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – organized by the Permanent Mission of Turkey and entitled: “Social Support Policies as a Tool for Women’s Empowerment in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
  • The President said that women living in poverty face an even higher risk of getting and dying from COVID-19, losing their livelihoods, and encountering increased violence. And women are overrepresented in sectors which are traditionally underpaid.
  • He said we need to safeguard women’s economic independence if we are to end gender-based violence.
  • He also called for the prioritization of essential services, data collection, legislative change and the end of impunity for perpetrators. He added that we must ensure that the 11 million girls at risk of being left behind return to the classroom as soon as possible.
  • The President will also address another side event this afternoon, organized by the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland.
  • This online event will feature the launch of a booklet on the Special Rapporteur’s work and how it relates to the Ending Discrimination and Violence Against Women (EDVAW) Platform. That platform seeks to strengthen cooperation in this area.
  • And the President believes that such efforts are essential if we are to learn and share best practices from around the world, in order to achieve gender equality everywhere. 

 

PRESIDENT MEETS WITH HEAD OF U.N. DESERTIFICATION CONVENTION

  • The President met this morning with the Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
  • They spoke about preparations for the High-level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought, which the President will convene on 20 May.

 

HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON WATER TO BE HELD TOMORROW

  • The President will convene a one-day high-level meeting on water tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall.
  • The opening segment will feature statements by the President; the Deputy Secretary-General; the President of the Economic and Social Council; the President of Tajikistan; the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the President of the International Fund for Agriculture and Development, who chairs UN-Water; and a Youth Ambassador from CONCAUSA, a youth group from Latin America and the Caribbean.
  • As of now, there are currently 86 individuals inscribed on the provisional list of speakers. Those include the Heads of State of Hungary, Austria and Slovenia; the Prime Ministers of Thailand and Egypt; the Deputy Prime Minister of Cuba; and the European Commissioner for International Partnerships.
  • There will be two panels – one moderated by the Executive Director of UNICEF and the other by the Administrator of UNDP. Panelists will include the Mayor of Mexico City.

 

SAFETY REMAINS AN IMPORTANT CONCERN AT U.N. MEETINGS

  • Asked for the President’s views on how the General Debate’s high-level period should be held next September, and in which format, the Spokesperson said it was difficult to predict what might happen in September and referred the journalist to the President’s answer to this same question at his 15 January press conference.
  • In response to a related question, the Spokesperson said that, throughout this session, the President’s office had remained in touch with UN Medical Services to ensure that meetings took into account the safety and wellbeing of delegates and staff. The Spokesperson said that ensuring such safety was very important to the President.