PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,
SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
9 January 2024
Video:
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Good afternoon, everyone. As this is our first briefing in 2024, Happy New Year to all of you!
GA DEBATES VETO CAST IN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING ON MIDDLE EAST
The General Assembly started a plenary meeting this morning to debate Agenda Item 63: Use of the veto: special report of the Security Council.
This follows a veto cast by one permanent member of the Security Council on 22 December 2023. In connection with this debate, the Assembly has before it a special report of the Security Council circulated in document A/78/691.
The plenary meeting debates the situation as to which the veto was cast during the Security Council’s 9520th meeting under the agenda item entitled: “The situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.”
The debate was convened by the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, as he informed Member States on 4 January.
There are 54 speakers inscribed to deliver remarks. If not finished by 1 p.m., the debate will be resumed this afternoon at 3 p.m.
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS TO BRIEF MEMBER STATES ON 2024 PRIORITIES
Next week, on Tuesday, PGA Dennis Francis will brief the General Assembly on his priorities for the resumed part of the seventy-eighth session. The meeting will take place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at 10 a.m. on 16 January.
On the same day in the afternoon, President Francis will convene an informal meeting of the General Committee at 3 p.m. in the same chamber. He has also invited all appointed co-facilitators and co-chairs of mandated processes to provide an update to the Committee. President Francis is encouraging all Member States to attend the informal meeting.
PGA ANNOUNCES DATE FOR SUSTAINABILITY WEEK
Finally, some of you have asked about the Sustainability Week. We now have a date announced by the PGA. The High-Level event will take place from 15 to 19 April here in New York.
The Sustainability Week will highlight the existential threats of sea-level rise on remote and vulnerable Small Island Developing States and 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 you. Do you have anything else?
END.
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