NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS

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

Wednesday, 15 February 2023

JAPAN

The President of the General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi is in Tokyo today.

He met with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in a bilateral that lasted about 20 minutes.

They touched on some of the crises underway, including the war in Ukraine. The President said that next week’s resumed Emergency Special Session will be an opportunity to reaffirm the international community’s support for the UN Charter and international law.

The bilateral also touched on Security Council reform, as well some of the key upcoming events, such as the Summit of the Future which will be held in 2024.

President Kőrösi and the Foreign Minister then spoke to the press. I don’t have those details.

Afterwards, they met for a working dinner. Among the topics that was raised was what will happen with the treated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. You will recall that this is an issue that was raised during the President’s visit to China. The President had said that he would raise it during the visit to Japan.

 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

In terms of some of the work underway today by the General Assembly…

There are informal consultations on the Summit of the Future, which I had mentioned as a discussion topic between President Kőrösi and the Foreign Minister.

And on the Declaration on Future Generations.

And also, you might be interested to hear, there are discussion today on ammunition.

Those are in the Open-ended Working Group established pursuant to General Assembly resolution 76/233 to elaborate a set of political commitments as a new global framework that will address existing gaps in through-life ammunition management.

That Working Group is part of the General Assembly’s agenda under the item “General and complete disarmament.”

 

ICJ/CLIMATE CHANGE

Yesterday, I had been asked about the expected draft resolution on an advisory opinion from the ICJ on climate change, and effort led by Vanuatu and other Member States. There is nothing scheduled right now, but the discussions are underway.

QUESTIONS

The Spokesperson was asked again about a readout by the Chinese Ministry following the bilateral between the PGA and the Chinese FM, and the wording of One-China Policy versus One-China Principle. The policy of the United Nations on this issue is guided by General Assembly Resolution 2758 from 1971.