NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS
Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Tuesday, 17 January 2023
PGA’S PRIORITIES
President Csaba Kőrösi today laid out his priorities for the remainder of the 77th session of the General Assembly, which is not quite eight months.
In an informal briefing to Member States, President Kőrösi said it is up to the General Assembly to develop transformative solutions and to implement them in solidarity.
The President said quote “With human rights at their core, our efforts must make our world safer, more just and more sustainable.”
In laying out the plan for the coming months, we are starting with January and looking to the SDG Summit in September, which will be the midpoint for the 2030 Agenda.
Of the events that the President mentioned in that timeframe, I want to highlight the UN Water Conference in March. And specifically, the game changers connected with water which came out of the October consultations. One of those game changers is a water information system. The President today asked Member States to really consider these ideas and to work together on them.
This ties in with the topic of science, which is a priority for the President, as you know. He has proposed the establishment of a scientific mechanism to identify the most effective ways to encourage scientific engagement within the General Assembly. You will hear this idea coming up over the next several months.
The President announced today three scientific briefings by scientists to Member States on 7 February. They will be on the topics of Economics of Water; the connections between Climate, Conflict and Cooperation; and the role of Early Warning for Pandemic Preparedness. These will be webcast and I will share information in advance, for any interviews.
Another point that the President made today is that we must reform our entire economic thinking.
That includes how we evaluate the well-being of people and the planet. From considering the environmental impacts of our investments, for example… to rethinking the methodology of how we measure sustainability, such as through the so-called “Beyond GDP” initiative – which is just as the name suggests – looking at the well-being of a country through measurable environmental and social aspects.
On the wider topic of the work of the GA, the President noted that Member States mandated 16 processes to be underway. By processes, we mean the efforts on Security Council reform, for example, the different high-level events or various documents, such as on the Digital Global Compact, that are being led by various Ambassadors.
Related to the issue of Security Council reform, the President called on Member States to use the quote “disappointing lessons we have learned” to inspire negotiations on Security Council reform, with the goal of creating a better functioning Council.
A topic related to Security Council reform and GA revitalization is the so-called Veto Initiative.
It was announced today that this April, there will be a plenary debate on the new agenda item on the use of the veto. A discussion about how to use this new mandate to make actual change.
Let me turn to a few country-specific issues mentioned in the speech.
Ukraine:
Starting with Ukraine.
President Kőrösi said that to his great sorrow, we are nearing the second year of the war in Ukraine, which has likely cost hundreds of thousands of lives, unleashed untold humanitarian suffering and shaken our multilateral system to the core.
He urged Member States to use all channels to bring back peace – in line with the UN Charter.
Korean Peninsula
On the issue of the Korean peninsula, President Kőrösi called for continued efforts to establish a complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the peninsula.
Quote “if the past year has taught us anything, it is that we need a renewed global commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation,” the President said.
MENA
In the Middle East and Northern African region…
The President called for more to be done to find a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.
He also called for an end to the suffering in Yemen and Syria.
West Africa
The President also made a call to combat terrorism across West Africa and wherever else it wreaks havoc.
Gender
On the issue of gender…
The President said that in today’s world, where women’s fundamental rights are so often under threat, we urgently need more female leadership.
The President called for the UN to lead by example, and for Member states to nominate women for leadership roles, including that of the President of the General Assembly.
Related, the President will meet with his Gender Advisory Board this afternoon.
The President’s remarks were delivered in Arabic, English, French and Russian. They are in your inboxes and online: https://www.un.org/pga/77/2023/01/17/pga-remarks-on-his-priorities-for-the-resumed-77th-session/
YOUTH FELLOWS
And seated among the audience were the six Youth Fellows who join the Office of the PGA this week, as part of a program with the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management and UNITAR, the UN Institute for Training and Research.
Welcome to the Fellows.
Related Tweet: https://twitter.com/UN_PGA/status/1615099344151093263
OFFICIAL VISITS
The President announced today three trips that he will be undertaking in the coming weeks. Let me give you a bit more information.
The first is to India, starting on around 29 January. The President will meet with senior Government officials, as well as address the Indian Council of World Affairs, a Foreign Policy Think Tank.
The remaining time will be devoted to meeting with scientists and visiting a water conservation project.
The President will then travel to China, where, in addition to meeting with senior Government officials, he is expected to visit the International Research Centre of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals – this is a tool to help support the SDGs.
The next visit, which will take place in mid-February, will be to Japan, where the President will participate in a conference on water resilience, among other objectives.
Then in late February, the President will visit Geneva to address the Human Rights Council.
He will then head to Azerbaijan for a conference related to the Non-Aligned Movement.
And then to Doha for the LDC5 conference.
I will share media advisories with more details closer to the start of each visit.
All the visits are at the invitation of the Governments, and will be paid, in part by the OPGA Trust Fund.
And let me take a moment here to stress that the President has very firm rules that he created when he took office. Those include never traveling first class, nor accepting any gifts.
MLK JR Day
Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and I wanted to bring to your attention two occasions where the President invoked Dr. King.
One is the quote that the President used in his remarks today.
The President said that in our world of torn trust and massive breakdowns, he is asking Member State to aim for a breakthrough, this is what Dr. King called the “fierce urgency of now”.
Yesterday, you would have seen the President’s tweet in which he said that Dr. King’s vision aligns with the UN ideal of human rights, economic and social justice, and peace around the world.
Quote “As we look to the crisis management and transformation – the work of the General Assembly is inspired by his courage and conviction”.
Related Tweet https://twitter.com/UN_PGA/status/1615030134523805696
OPGA KIDS VISIT
And given that yesterday was a federal holiday in honor of Dr. King, many parents at this Office brought their children here to the Headquarters.
We are very grateful to our friends at UN Tours, and specifically to Rula Hinedi and Jonathan Mishal, who provided a children’s tour for our 12 young guests. Those are usually available to the public on a weekly basis, if you are interested.
The children also met with President Kőrösi. Related Tweet https://twitter.com/UN_PGA/status/1615370659508662272
One of the children asked if there will be a world by the time they have kids. To which the President replied – that is up to the General Assembly.
There is a UN News story up on the English side with more, if you’re interested: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132497
QUESTIONS
The Spokesperson was asked about the resolution adopted on 30 December, as to why it would be the SG and not the PGA to deliver the opinion to the ICJ. The Spokesperson said that the role of the President of the General Assembly ended with the adoption of the resolution. The next steps are for the Office of Legal Affairs to produce the required documents which the Secretary-General officially transmits to the Court.
On the scheduled April plenary to discuss the Veto Initiative, the Spokesperson was asked whether it was the PGA or Member States who requested the meeting. The Spokesperson confirmed by email that it was a group of Member States.
The Spokesperson was asked for a link to the UNHQ Children’s Tour. More information is available at https://www.un.org/en/visit/tour.
WEBSITE
All briefings are online at https://www.un.org/pga/77/topic/spokespersons-briefings/
