NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS

Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi
United Nations Headquarters, New York

Tuesday, 24 January 2023

EDUCATION

You just heard from our guest, Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education.

Staying with the International Day of Education…

President Csaba Kőrösi is expected any moment now to start remarks at the education event organized by UNESCO and the Group of Friends for Education.

He is expected to receive an open letter, delivered by two young representatives – Kenisha Arora and Doris Mwikali – urging world leaders to prioritize education.

The President is expected to say that he echoes their call for the decision-makers of the world to urgently “walk the talk” and invest in global education transformation.

He is expected to point to the global situation of education – noting that six out of 10 children around the world cannot read at the age of 10… and millions cannot attend school.

Given the special priority on Afghanistan this year, the President will reiterate his own concerns about the treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan.

That with their human rights denied, their futures destroyed, their dreams shattered, there are no more freedoms left to take from them.

The President will likely repeat the Secretary-General’s warning that this conduct risks turning Afghanistan into a “gender apartheid society.” And is the international community going to stand by and watch?

You will have his full remarks, once delivered.

 

GENOCIDE

Turning now to ECOSOC…

Where President Kőrösi took part this morning in a Special Meeting on “Social and Economic Measures to Prevent Genocide, War Crimes, Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes against Humanity”.

The President said that we have heard the phrase “never again” too many times. A failure measured in lives lost.

He urged the international community to learn from policies that fomented the horrors of the Holocaust – and tragedies in Cambodia, the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

“It is incumbent on us all – across the UN – to engage with community and faith leaders, indigenous peoples, civil society, the private sector, academia, the media and others and to define transformative solutions,” the President said.

He wrapped up his remarks by stressing that everyone will be judged for their inactions. The question will one day be asked: What did we do in 2023 to ensure genocide was prevented?

 

BILATERALS

And in terms of bilaterals…

President Kőrösi will meet this afternoon with Ambassador Yoka Brand, the Permanent Representative of Netherlands, and Ambassador Jonibek Hikmat, the Permanent Representative of Tajikistan. These countries are co-hosting the UN Water Conference, and that is also the topic of today’s conversation.

The President is also meeting with Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, the Permanent Representative of Malta.

As well as with Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, the Permanent Representative of Greece.

 

QUESTIONS

 There were no questions for the Spokesperson.

 

UN WebTV LINK

https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1w/k1w1ryx860