NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS BY PAULINA KUBIAK GREER,
SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ABDULLA SHAHID
United Nations Headquarters, New York

AFGHANISTAN

I will start with a statement on Afghanistan.

The President of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, is deeply saddened to learn about the tragic loss of life and injuries caused by the earthquake that struck Afghanistan, particularly the Paktika and Khost provinces in the east.

President Shahid extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and sends wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured.

The President stands in solidarity with all those families who have been impacted by the devastation of the earthquake, which comes at a time when the country is already grappling with a severe economic crisis complicated by the recent flooding and landslides which has caused severe damages in several provinces.

While we understand that the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) is already sending teams to aid the people of the region, the President urges Member States to support ongoing humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering from this unforeseen tragedy.

 

RWANDA

President Shahid is currently enroute to Kigali, Rwanda. You now have the detailed media advisory on his program. He will then head to Portugal for the Ocean Conference.

 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Turning to New York…

In the Trusteeship today, there is an informal briefing on the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on torture-free trade.

I want to note that this report examines the possible creation of international standards regarding the import, export and transfer of goods for use in capital punishment or torture.

The report is publicly available. It comes from a UN Group of governmental experts that was established in August of last year, in accordance with resolution 75/908.

 

THURSDAY PREVIEW

Looking to tomorrow.

At 10AM in the General Assembly Hall, there will be formal annual debate on the responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

Also at 10AM, but in the Trusteeship, the General Assembly will convene a pledging conference for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

 

PUBLIC SERVICE DAY

Today the United Nations marks Public Service Day. The theme is “Building Back Better from COVID: Enhancing innovation partnerships to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.”

In his video message, President Shahid says that it is public servants who have directly catered to the needs of their vulnerable communities. We have a responsibility to not only recognize them but to support them.

 

UN STAFF

And today, we also honor the memory of the 485 United Nations personnel who lost their lives serving the blue flag over the last year.

We’re thinking of them and their families and friends.

 

QUESTIONS

The Spokesperson was asked if President Shahid plans to raise the UK/Rwanda asylum issue or the DRC/Rwanda issue during his meetings in Kigali. The Spokesperson said that President Shahid would raise all issues of mutual interest in the meetings. On the latter, the President is aligned with the Secretary-General’s statement over the weekend, and the Security Council is seized of the matter.

The Spokesperson was asked about the Credentials Committee and who speaks on behalf of Afghanistan. The Spokesperson said that there is nothing new to report on the issue.