NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS

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

Monday, 20 February 2023

Good afternoon,

I will start today, followed by Stephane and his guests, who will brief on the LDC5 conference that will be held in Doha, Qatar, from 5 March.

INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT

Here in New York, the President of the General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi this morning, took part in an informal briefing of the General Assembly on internal displacement.

The President briefed ahead of Assistant Secretary-General Robert Piper. Who is the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on Solutions to Internal Displacement.

President Kőrösi noted that as climate change continues to worsen, as war continues to rage, as human rights continue to be massively violated, the numbers of IDPs will continue to swell.

Right now, more than 100 million people have been displaced around the world.

By 2050, the World Bank estimates that 216 million people could be forced to move internally due to climate inaction alone.

The President pointed to the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement and the Action Agenda, saying that it provides Member States with data and evidence that is key to sound public policy.

But quote “we have learnt enough lessons. Now we need action to help displaced people and decrease the number of IDPs worldwide.”

The President’s full remarks are online and in your inbox: https://www.un.org/pga/77/2023/02/20/pga-remarks-to-informal-plenary-meeting-to-hear-a-briefing-from-robert-piper-special-adviser-of-the-secretary-general-on-solutions-to-internal-displacement/

JAPAN SYMPOSIUM

Staying on the topic of climate change, while he was in Tokyo on Saturday, the President warned that some 1.8 billion people are threated by flood risks.

In a keynote address to the high-level symposium on “Integrated Water Cycle Management in the post-COVID 19 era,” President Kőrösi said that we need the same sort of ingenuity and determination that brought the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission back to Earth, after encountering mechanical problems.

“Actionable solutions, based on science, through solidarity are urgently needed.

Solutions that support sustainable development in the long run, solutions to help transforming our societies,” the President said.

You have his full remarks in your inboxes and online: https://www.un.org/pga/77/2023/02/18/pga-keynote-address-to-high-level-symposium-on-integrated-water-cycle-management-in-the-post-covid-19-era/

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

This afternoon, starting at 3PM, the General Assembly will meet for a joint debate related to malaria.

This will be agenda item 12 entitled “2001-2010: Decade to Roll Back Malaria in Developing Countries, Particularly in Africa”.

That will be followed by debate and action on a resolution related to “New Partnership for Africa’s Development: progress in implementation and international support”.

The third item for agenda will be on sustainable development. There is a draft resolution for action, that is specific to water for sustainable development decade that is now underway.

Member States are then expected to take action on draft resolutions related to cooperation between the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The fifth and last item on this afternoon’s agenda is on global health and foreign policy. That concerns the “Scope, modalities, format and organization of the high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis.”

BILATERALS

Among his bilaterals today, the President will be meeting with the Permanent Representative of Pakistan, Ambassador Munir Akram. One of the topics to be discussed is the International Day to combat Islamophobia.

TOMORROW

Looking to tomorrow…

At 10AM, President Kőrösi will address the opening of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, the C34.

He will then speak to civil society organizations in the Third Committee.

In the afternoon, at 3pm, in CR4, the President will take part in the observance of Mother Language Day on the theme of “Multilingual education – a necessity to transform education.”

QUESTIONS

The Spokesperson has been asked via email for ASG Piper’s presentation today. The presentation is apparently available from estatements.