NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS
Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Friday, 11 November 2022
MORNING DIALOGUE
President Csaba Kőrösi this morning convened the third meeting of his Morning Dialogue series. The topic was the Veto Initiative.
One of the questions that President Kőrösi posed to the 16 Ambassadors, was – given the more active role that the General Assembly now has, how can it play that role effectively and constructively?
Richard Gowan, the UN Director at the Crisis Group, was the guest speaker.
A summary of the discussions – where were held under Chatham House Rules – will be circulated.
CENTRAL ASIAN WOMEN LEADERS
President Kőrösi this morning met with the Central Asian Women Leader’s Caucus (CAWLC) for 2022 – which includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The delegation is in New York to participate in an Ambassadorial-level meeting on “Women leadership for Women, Peace and Security agenda and the role of women in the context of climate change” scheduled for today at 3PM ET in ECOSOC.
The meeting with the President focused on climate change and the 2023 UN Water conference. The President, as you know, had convened a meeting of the Platform of Women Leaders during UNGA. And there was also a discussion today about women’s role in peace and security issues.
BILATERALS
President Kőrösi is today meeting to discuss the Summit of the Future. He will be speaking with the co-facilitators of that process. Those are Ambassador Neville M. Gertze, the Permanent Representative of Namibia, and Ambassador Antje Leendertse, the Permanent Representative of Germany.
THIRD COMMITTEE
Turning to the Third Committee…
Member States today adopted by consensus a resolution related to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Draft resolution A/C.3/77/L.49.
President Kőrösi welcomes this return to consensus for the resolution, which was called for a recorded vote in the previous three years.
The Third Committee also adopted a resolution related to extrajudicial killings, presented by the Nordic countries, A/C.3/77/L.42.
The resolution was adopted with 131 in favor, 1 against and 45 abstentions.
An amendment to remove “sexual orientation or gender identity” from the text was defeated with 51 in favor, 88 against and 26 abstentions.
DEATH MORATORIUM RESOLUTION
This afternoon, the Third Committee is expected to take action on a resolution inviting all States to protect the right to life by establishing a moratorium on executions.
This is a biennial resolution that was first adopted by the General Assembly in 2007.
There are a few items that are different in this draft then in resolutions from previous years. I wanted to mention three of these differences.
This year’s version welcomes that States with different legal systems, traditions, cultures and religious backgrounds are applying a moratorium, including long-standing moratoriums, either in law or in practice, on the use of the death penalty.
This draft notes the negative impact the imposition of the death penalty has on the rights of children and youth whose parents or parental caregivers face the death penalty, as well as other family members
It also notes that transparent reporting and access to information regarding the use of the death penalty and criminal prosecutions can expose discriminatory practices or impact in the imposition and application of the death penalty, and recalls that, particularly in cases of capital punishment, States must guarantee transparency in order to ensure that all persons benefit from due process guarantees.
ISRAEL/OPT RESOLUTIONS
The Fourth Committee has for the past few days been debating Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories.
Among the resolutions for action today, was A/C.4/77/L.12 – “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”.
This is the resolution draft that requests an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory.
The draft was adopted with a vote of 98 for, 17 against and 52 abstentions.
Among the other resolutions, the Fourth Committee adopted three resolutions related to support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA.
As with all the resolutions adopted by the GA Main Committees, action before the General Assembly plenary is expected next month. I don’t yet have dates for you.
ESS DEBATE
Looking to next week…
First staring with the resumption of the 11th Emergency Special Session on Monday, 14 November.
I had told you that the ESS was expected to be action on a draft resolution.
President Kőrösi has since received a letter from a group of Member States requesting that a debate be convened before action on the draft resolution.
As such, the format of the ESS will be changed to include a debate followed by action on a draft resolution.
The letter which the President received was signed by the Permanent Representatives of Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, China, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nicaragua, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
SCHEDULE FOR NEXT WEEK
While the ESS is underway, President Kőrösi will be at COP27.
He will speak of the opening of Water Day on Monday.
On Tuesday, he will speak at the Climate and Clean Air Ministerial Coalition, and have a number of bilaterals.
I will not brief but will try to send you the noon briefing notes for those two days.
Then on Thursday, that is the Security Reform debate in the General Assembly.
President Kőrösi is expected at the stakeout on Thursday at around 1PM ET where he will make remarks.
QUESTIONS
The Spokesperson was asked if President Kőrösi plans to speak at the Emergency Special Session. The Spokesperson said that he will be in Egypt. One of the GA Vice-Presidents will preside over the General Assembly. No statements from the President, or on behalf of the President, are expected at this time.
The Spokesperson was asked if the ESS is expected to go past Monday. The Spokesperson said that she does not have the List of Speakers, but it is possible that the debate could go past Monday.
