PRESS BRIEFING BY MONICA VILLELA GRAYLEY, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ABDULLA SHAHID

Good afternoon!

PGA meets Permanent Representatives for a second Holhuashi Dialogue

President Abdulla Shahid started his day early, at 8:15 am., for the second Holhuashi Dialogue with Permanent Representatives to the United Nations.

Today, the PGA and his guests discussed ways for more effective, engaging and impactful high-level meetings at the General Assembly.

The dialogues are conducted under Chatham House rules, and a summary of the meeting will be submitted to all Member States.

These exchanges are based on the General Assembly resolution 72/313 (2017) on the “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”. The President of the General Assembly will continue convening this series of morning dialogues, as has been the case during the previous sessions of the GA.

The meeting is convened under the banner of Holhuashi Dialogues.

In the PGA’s country, Maldives, a Holhuashi is a meeting place for the entire island. It is also an opportunity for interaction on issues that are important to the community. The gathering promotes the generation of ideas and seeks solutions for action.

The PGA intends to convene three more Holhuashi Dialogues before the end of this year.

 

PGA takes part in a tree planting ceremony in the UN North Garden

This morning, Mr. Abdulla Shahid took part in a tree planting ceremony here at UN Headquarters.

The PGA was accompanied by the Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Operation Support, Mr. Atul Khare.

Mr. Shahid planted a dogwood tree in the North Garden hours ahead of his departure to the United Kingdom, where he will attend the UN Conference on Climate Change, in Glasgow.

The GA President highlighted that “a tree is a symbol for life, refuge, abundance and above all: hope.”

On 21 October, the PGA and his team volunteered at Cunningham Park in Queens, New York, planting about 350 trees and bushes to mark UN Day.

One of the priorities of Mr. Shahid’s Presidency of Hope is to address the needs of the planet and to promote climate action.

More information on the PGA’s Twitter account @UN_PGA

 

Human Rights Council presents its annual report to the General Assembly

 Mr. Shahid chaired the formal plenary meeting at the GA Hall, earlier this morning, when the President of the Human Rights Council, Ms. Nazhat Shameem Khan, presented the annual report of the body.

In his own remarks, the PGA said that “over the past 18 months, the pandemic of COVID-19 has exacerbated existing humanitarian crises and with the world now trying to move into a recovery from the pandemic, human rights can and must play a key role in our resolve to ensure that no one is left behind.

More details on our website: www.un.org/pga

PGA’s Agenda

Mr. Shahid started the day with the Holhuashi Dialogue. He later presided over the formal plenary meeting at the GA Hall, where the Human Rights Council annual report was presented.

Mr. Shahid also met with the Representative of Mexico, H.E. Juán Ramón de la Fuente Ramírez, who will occupy the Presidency of the Security Council for the month of November before planting a Dogwood tree at the North Garden. As we speak, Mr. Shahid is checking-in on his way to COP26 in Glasgow.

Any questions here or on the screen?

 

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