PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,
SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
4 December 2023
Video: https://tinyurl.com/3mds4rca
Good afternoon, everyone!
GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACTS ON REPORTS OF THE FIRST COMMITTEE
The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, is back in the office after taking part in the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), in Dubai.
Since this morning, the PGA has been presiding over the 42nd plenary meeting that is considering the reports of the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security.
The GA adopted draft resolutions on several items including the reduction of military budgets, the implementation of the Declaration of the Indian Ocean as a Zone of Peace, the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone, the prohibition of the development and manufacture of new types of weapons of mass destruction and new systems of such weapons among other topics.
This action follows the election of Poland and Uruguay as members of the Organizational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission – Item 114 (b).
PRESIDENT FRANCIS TO CONVENE “SUSTAINABILITY WEEK” IN 2024
The General Assembly will organize a Sustainability Week, in April 2024, in New York.
The event was announced by the PGA, last week, at COP 28, in Dubai.
In his remarks at the High-Level Segment for Heads of State and Government of COP 28, Mr. Francis voiced support for Small Island Developing States and those most vulnerable to climate impacts and announced a High-Level ‘Sustainability Week’.
The PGA firmly believes that COP 28 can produce “a triumvirate of undertakings: a threefold surge in renewable energy, a financial influx to propel sustainability, and a fortified support system for those confronting climate-induced vulnerabilities.”
The Sustainability Week will highlight the existential threats of sea-level rise on remote and vulnerable Small Island Developing States. For the PGA, there is a need to maintain momentum on urgent areas of climate action, and to ensure efficiency in planning and resource allocation.
He noted that the Sustainability Week will consolidate several high-level already mandated events promoting sustainability in transport, tourism, and infrastructure sectors.
The results of the event add further momentum to the path laid out at COP28 and ahead of the 2024 Summit of the Future next September.
This is everything we have for today.
END.
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