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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

27 April 2021

 

PRESIDENT CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR INDIA FOLLOWING COVID-19 OUTBREAK

  • The President said this morning that he was worried about the COVID-19 situation in India, a country which did so much to ensure the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable countries.
  • He said it is now time for the world to extend aid and support to India.
  • He added that no one is safe until we’re all safe – and that his thoughts are with the Indian Government and people at this time.

 

DIGITAL DIVIDE THREATENS TO BECOME NEW FACE OF INEQUALITY, PRESIDENT TELLS HIGH-LEVEL DEBATE

  • Today the President is convening a one-day High-level Thematic Debate on Digital Cooperation and Connectivity under the theme “Whole-Of-Society Approaches to End the Digital Divide”.
  • Participants include Member State representatives, UN officials, technology and telecommunications leaders, experts in digital governance and members of civil society.
  • Opening remarks were delivered by: the Presidents of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council; the Deputy Secretary-General; Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who is the Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development; and the Executive Director of “Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations”.
  • In his remarks, President Bozkir said the digital divide threatens to become the new face of inequality. It is those already furthest behind who remain disconnected. The starkness of the divide is bordering on immoral.
  • He added that the digital divide was real long before COVID-19. The global pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, starkly highlighting the digital-haves and the digital have-nots.
  • He said we cannot afford to wait and must galvanize political momentum today.
  • There are three panel discussions today. The first, which took place this morning, focused on “Ending the Digital Divide by 2030”.
  • The two that will be held this afternoon will focus on “Equitable Access and Digital Empowerment” and “Greening the Digital Future”.
  • Speakers throughout the day include the CEOs of Intel and Verizon Communications; the Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International; Microsoft’s Vice President for UN Affairs; and the Secretaries-General of the International Organization of La Francophonie, the Digital Cooperation Organisation and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union.

 

PRESIDENT TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK

  • Looking ahead, tomorrow morning the General Assembly plenary plans to take action on three new draft resolutions.
  • The topics are: global drowning prevention, including the proclamation of World Drowning Prevention Day; the International Day of Women Judges; and solidarity with and support for the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as neighbouring countries affected by the impact of the eruptions of the La Soufriere Volcano.
  • In other news, the President plans to give a press conference at UN Headquarters – one week from today – on Tuesday 4 May at 11:00 a.m.

 

PRESIDENT’S LETTER OUTLINES DIALOGUE PROCESS FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL SELECTION

  • On the Secretary-General selection and appointment process, the Spokesperson was asked who would be submitting vision statements and participating in the informal dialogue with Member States on 7 May. The Spokesperson said that, as of now, one candidate’s name had been circulated to all Member States by the Presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council. That was António Guterres of Portugal. As such, Mr. Guterres would be participating on 7 May.
  • The Spokesperson added that the President had sent a letter to all Member States yesterday, which provided more details on the informal dialogue process. Noting that the President would be convening the dialogue, he added that Member States were encouraged to ask questions to the candidate. Questions were also being collected online from civil society.
  • In response to a related question, the Spokesperson said that there were an additional six applicants who had written to the President. Replying to a further inquiry, the Spokesperson said it was up to the Presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council to decide together whether or not to circulate additional names to the membership.

 

OTHER ITEMS

  • Myanmar: Asked whether the General Assembly was considering a draft resolution on Myanmar, the Spokesperson said he understood that a draft was currently open for co-sponsorship by Member States. However, as of now, nothing had been formally tabled. As such, no related plenary meeting had been scheduled.
  • US-UN relations: Asked how the President viewed relations between the United Nations and United States, now that President Joe Biden was in office, the Spokesperson said the relationship between the General Assembly and the US had always been important, including because the US was the Assembly’s host country. Contacts between the US and General Assembly continued to be strong. President Bozkir had met with US officials, including the Secretary of State and Permanent Representative, and was happy with the level of collaboration that he was seeing between the US and the UN as a whole.