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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

25 May 2021

 

PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN BANGLADESH

  • The President is currently in Bangladesh, upon the invitation of the Government.
  • Today in Dhaka, he was received by the country’s Prime Minister, H.E. Ms. Sheikh Hasina. They discussed the plight of the Rohingya people, the situation in Myanmar, the impact of climate change, the importance of human-centered development, gender equality and women’s empowerment, a culture of peace, and Bangladesh’s experience as the top troop contributing country to UN peacekeeping missions.
  • The President then visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum – to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is called “the Father of the Nation.”
  • He also met separately with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. AK Abdul Momen. The topics of discussion included the situation of the Rohingya, climate change, the COVID-19 response, South-South cooperation, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • While in Dhaka, the President delivered a lecture at the Foreign Service Academy.
  • In that speech, he commended Bangladesh for offering shelter and protection to the Rohingya fleeing persecution and unspeakable crimes in Rakhine State. He said that Bangladesh had stepped up at a moment of crisis to uphold the principles of the United Nations.
  • The President also met with the UN Country Team, led by Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo.
  • Tomorrow he will travel to Cox’s Bazar to meet with Rohingya refugees. 
  • Asked whether the President had raised during his meetings the situation of human rights in Bangladesh, or the situation of vaccine distribution to Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees, the Spokesperson said he had nothing to add to the readouts already provided.

 

ASSEMBLY RESUMES MEETING ON MIDDLE EAST & PALESTINE

  • Last Thursday the President convened an in-person plenary meeting on Palestine and the Middle East in the General Assembly Hall.
  • Eighty-one delegations spoke – including 12 individuals at the ministerial level.
  • Because of the time constraints, more than 20 speakers did not get to take the floor. The meeting therefore resumed and ended this morning. Twenty-two delegations spoke today.

 

PRESIDENT MARKS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF VESAK

  • The President sent a video message today to an event to mark the International Day of Vesak, which was organized by the Permanent Missions of Sri Lanka and Thailand.
  • The General Assembly recognized this day in 1999 to acknowledge the contributions of Buddhism.
  • The President said, “Let this year’s Vesak Day serve as a timely reminder of our joint humanity and collective togetherness. Let this spirit guide our work here at the United Nations and beyond.”

 

MIGRANTS MUST BE PROTECTED & EMPOWERED

  • The President also sent a video message to the first session of the International Dialogue on Migration 2021.
  • This dialogue is the International Organization for Migration’s principal forum for discussing migration.
  • In his message, the President said, “As our attention was focused, near exclusively, on the global pandemic and its impact on our own citizens, it was the most vulnerable, including migrants, who paid the price.”
  • He said it is our responsibility to leave no one behind and to protect and empower all people, including migrants.

 

PILOT PROJECT WOULD ALLOW FOR INCREASED DELEGATION SIZES IN ASSEMBLY HALL

  • Regarding pandemic-related measures in the General Assembly Hall, the President has responded to the strong calls from delegations to improve the Assembly’s in-person work, taking into account updated guidelines from the Host Country.
  • In a letter sent to all Member States, he informed them that, as of 1 June, a pilot project will be implemented, whereby delegations will commit to having only fully vaccinated delegates accessing meetings in the General Assembly Hall.
  • All delegates will be required to swipe their UN badges at the Hall’s entrance , thereby declaring, as a condition of their entry, that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19; have not been diagnosed with COVID-19 or had symptoms in the last 14 days; have not had close contact with someone with COVID-19 or its symptoms in the last 14 days; and have completed any locally required quarantine.
  • The President wrote that this would allow us to increase the size of delegations to “1+1” – or two people per delegation – as well as increase the participation of other stakeholders.
  • If this pilot project proves successful after four weeks, it could be extended to other conference rooms.
  • Asked whether the pilot project was directly related to the General Assembly’s high-level period in September, the Spokesperson said arrangements for the high-level period remained a topic of discussion between Member States, the Host Country and the Secretariat; those discussions would also eventually involve the next President of the General Assembly as well.
  • Replying to related questions, the Spokesperson noted that the goal of the pilot project was to see whether more people would be able to safely participate in in-person meetings in the General Assembly Hall. The idea was to ensure that the UN would not be left behind as New York State and New York City reopened.
  • Asked whether “Russian and Chinese vaccinations [would] be accepted as valid, as sufficient, for entry into the General Assembly Hall”, the Spokesperson said, “From our side, there would be no distinction drawn between different vaccine types.”
  • Asked whether people who confirmed that they were vaccinated would be able to move within the building without masks, the Spokesperson said that questions about UN staff in the UN building should be directed to the Secretariat, as he could only speak about guidance for delegates in the General Assembly Hall. Regarding the General Assembly Hall, he said it was expected that delegates would continue to wear masks for now. He added that, for events with over 250 people, New York State recommended the continued use of masks.
  • Asked whether the President agreed with the US Government’s position on vaccinated individuals and the use of masks, the Spokesperson said that the President was being guided by ongoing discussions between Member States, the Host Country and the Secretariat. His role was to convene discussions on business continuity and provide a platform for all these parties to discuss how they wanted to move forward in the building. He had already convened a number of meetings to that end and would continue to do so in line with the wishes of Member States – so that we could arrive at a solution that worked for all of us at Headquarters.