NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS
Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Wednesday, 21 June 2023
YOGA DAY
We’ll start off today with a short video from this month’s Day of Yoga commemoration.
You see President Csaba Kőrösi next to Prime Minister Modi.
On the Prime Minister’s side is actor Richard Gere and Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
On the President’s other side is American singer Mary Millben.
Before the yoga session, President Kőrösi spoke to the audience of more than 2,000 people.
He spoke personally about his interest in Eastern philosophy, which was sparked in him during his university days.
He said that he learned that the energies in the universe, and inside us, abide by the same law – a desire to achieve balance.
Tied this with our need to achieve balance in the physical world – through sustainability.
Not overusing resources that belong to all of us.
Not prioritizing short-term gains over planetary boundaries.
And working for transformation.
Our world needs balance, self-control, and creativity, just as it needs a recognition of moral responsibilities, and cherishing peace and justice, the President said.
He also spoke about the role of yoga in his own life, his daughter is an advanced yoga practitioner.
You have his full remarks in your inbox and online: https://www.un.org/pga/77/documents/statements/
COUNTER-TERRORISM
Tomorrow, starting at 10AM ET in the General Assembly Hall…
Member States will debate the 8th review of the Global Counter Terrorism Strategy.
Action is expected on a draft resolution.
Negotiations on that resolution are among the 16 negotiation processes of the General Assembly.
The work is led by Ambassador Robert Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada; and Ambassador Tarek Ladeb, Permanent Representative of Tunisia.
President Kőrösi will have remarks to tomorrow’s meeting, before the draft is introduced.
He is expected to say that the world will face growing stressors, and that extremists will react to those stressors more and more in the future.
He will call for a strong consensus on the counter-terrorism strategy.
One that shows to the people outside of the UN, that the international community sees this danger, is cooperating on the danger, and is ready to tackle the danger.
QUESTIONS
The Spokesperson was asked about protests outside of UNHQ during the yoga event, and claims that the yoga event was meant to turn attention away from critics of Prime Minister Modi. The Spokesperson said that she doesn’t have any specific comments about the protests, but that President Kőrösi met for a long time with Prime Minister Modi during his trip to India. He praised the Prime Minister’s vision for sustainability, which is in line with his own thinking and priorities of solutions through solidarity, sustainability and science.
The Spokesperson was asked if President Kőrösi and Prime Minister Modi discussed Security Council reform today. The Spokesperson said that they interacted before and after the yoga event, but that did not come up. Security Council reform was discussed in bilateral meetings during the President’s visit to India.
The Spokesperson was asked off-camera for a draft of the counter-terrorism text. The Spokesperson answered that the text is still being finalized.
