NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS
Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Wednesday, 26 October 2022
COP EVENT ON WATER
In the next few minutes, President Csaba Kőrösi will speak on “Water at COP27”, at a side event organized by the Permanent Mission of Egypt – which as you know is hosting COP27 next month.
This will be the first UNFCCC COP, that will feature water in its main program.
The event today is meant to brief Member States on water action at Sharm el-Sheikh. Such as the High-level Round table on Water security, Water Pavilion, and COP27 Water Day.
The President will discuss the AWARe Initiative – which is Action on Water Adaptation and Resilience.
He will recap the two days of preparatory meetings we just held for the UN 2023 Water Conference.
As you know if you followed, Member States yesterday agreed by consensus on the themes for the five interactive dialogues to be held during the UN 2023 Water Conference.
- Water for Health: Access to WASH, including the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation (SDG 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 and SDGs 1, 3, 4, 5, 17)
- Water for Sustainable Development: Valuing Water, Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Sustainable Economic and Urban Development (SDG 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 and SDGs 2, 8, 9, 11, 12);
- Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: Source to Sea, Biodiversity, Climate, Resilience and DRR (SDGs 6.5, 6.6, 7, 11.5, 13, 14, 15);
- Water for Cooperation: Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, Cross Sectoral Cooperation, including Scientific Cooperation, and Water Across the 2030 Agenda (SDG 6.5, 6.b and SDGs 16, 17);
- Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementation of the objectives of the Decade, including through the UN Secretary-General’s Action Plan.
The announcement was made yesterday by Sulton Rahimzoda, the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan on Water. Tajikistan, along with the Netherlands, are the co-hosts of the Conference, which will be held in New York from 22 to 24 of March next year.
The summary report from Monday’s Stakeholder Consultation is available at https://www.un.org/pga/77/2022/10/25/high-level-summary-of-stakeholder-dialogue-of-the-preparatory-meeting-for-the-un-2023-water-conference/
WATER BILATERALS
Related to the water events, President Kőrösi will meet today with the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Petteri Taalas – whom you heard from just now.
President Kőrösi will also meet today with Danilo Turk, President of Club de Madrid, who took part in this week’s discussions.
As well as with Francesca Bernardini, Co-Secretary to the Protocol on Water.
PRINCIPALS OF UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GROUP
Earlier today, President Kőrösi addressed the Principals of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which was discussing the preparatory process for the SDG Summit to be held in September of next year.
President Kőrösi said we are facing systemic challenges and require systemic solutions. World leaders called for urgent and transformative engagement during this year’s UNGA. The SDG Summit must answer them.
SUSTAINABLE CITIES
Later today, the President will speak to the Group of Friends of UN-Habitat, Sustainable Urbanization and the New Urban Agenda. This is an event organized by the Permanent Missions of Slovakia and Botswana.
I will share those remarks when delivered.
BILATERALS
In addition to this already busy schedule, President Kőrösi met this morning with the President of the International Court of Justice, Judge Joan Donoghue and the Registrar of the Court, Mr. Philippe Gautier.
Tomorrow starting at 10AM the President of the International Court of Justice will introduce the annual report of the Court to the General Assembly, which will be followed by a debate .
He also met early this morning with UNODC Executive Director and Director General of the UN Office in Vienna, USG Ghada Waly.
Later today he will meet with Navanethem Pillay, Miloon Kothari and Christopher Sidoti – the three members of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel (COI OPTEJI), which has been established by the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The three Commissioners are scheduled to present their report to the Third Committee tomorrow morning.
President Kőrösi will also meet today with the Chair and Commissioners of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria: Paulo Pinheiro, Lynn Welchman and Hanny Megally – who are presenting their report to the Third Committee today.
Still on the topic of the Third Committee, the following Special Rapporteurs are briefing today:
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Mr. Thomas H. ANDREWS
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ms. Elizabeth SALMÓN
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Ms. Anaïs MARIN
- Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Javaid REHMAN
He will also meet with Ambassador Isabelle Picco, the Permanent Representative of Monaco, to discuss the 30th anniversary of Monacco at the UN.
JCC/BLACK SEA GRAIN INITIATIVE
To update you on the General Assembly’s schedule.
Tomorrow afternoon, the General Assembly is expected to adopt – on the recommendation of the Fifth Committee – Revised estimates on United Nations activities to mitigate global food insecurity and its humanitarian impact. This is funding that will be used by the Joint Coordination Centre for the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
