PRESS BRIEFING BY MONICA VILLELA GRAYLEY, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ABDULLA SHAHID
Good afternoon!
PGA returns to New York after taking part in COP26 in Glasgow
The President of the General Assembly is back in New York after concluding a four-day-official trip to the UN Conference on Climate Change, COP26, in Glasgow.
Mr. Abdulla Shahid said that he left Glasgow with cautious optimism. For the PGA, COP26 needs to reignite hope for people everywhere by recommitting to the target of 1.5-degree Celsius and by outlining how to get there. The PGA delivered remarks at the Opening Ceremony on Sunday. Whilst in the United Kingdom, he spoke to several Heads of State and Government, representatives of the United Nations, of the European Union and other interlocutors.
Mr. Shahid also met with leaders of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), young climate activists and women scientists.
The PGA said that the people of the world sense the urgency, now they need to know we have a clear pathway and timeline.
Mr. Shahid welcomed announcements by world leaders on ending deforestation by 2030 and cutting emissions of methane, which is a key greenhouse gas, combined with calls for finance, adaptation and net zero targets as “signs of progress”.
Prior to departure, the President toured the Green Zone – the public venue of COP26 – and met with Alman, a young boy from the Maldives who had created a viral video on the need for climate action.
You can check this video on our social media channels including the PGA’s Twitter @UN_PGA .
GA & SC to elect new member of the International Court of Justice
Tomorrow, 5 November, the GA and the Security Council will conduct a simultaneous election for a new member of the International Court of Justice.
The election will take place at 10 am. in both chambers.
On 29 October, Mr. Abdulla Shahid sent the last letter to the Member States with additional details concerning the conduct of the election. Ballot papers will be distributed desk-to-desk once the meeting begins.
The candidates for the vacated seat are Ms. Hillary Charlesworth from Australia and Mr. Linos-Alexander Sicilianos from Greece.
The International Court of Justice is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms of office by the GA and the Security Council. These organs vote simultaneously but separately.
In order to be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes in both bodies. This means 97 at the GA and 8 at the Security Council.
The Court may not include more than one national of the same State.
PGA’s Agenda
Mr. Shahid started his day with a virtual meeting with Ms. Beatrice Fihn, Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
This afternoon he will receive at his Office, the Permanent Representative of Germany, H.E. Ms. Antje Leendertse.
The PGA will also hold a bilateral meeting with the SG’s Special Representative on Disaster Risk Reduction, Ms. Mami Mizutori.
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