PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,
SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
8 February 2024
Good afternoon, everyone!
GA PRESIDENT TO UNDERTAKE OFFICIAL VISIT TO JAPAN
The President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA), H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis, will travel to Japan from 11 to 15 February, at the invitation of the country’s Government.
The PGA will hold bilateral meetings with senior Japanese Government officials and parliamentarians, as well as engage with representatives of civil society and academia.
The PGA intends to use the opportunity of his visit to further strengthen and foster cooperation between Japan and the United Nations on a range of global issues, while promoting peace, prosperity, progress, and sustainability – the four priorities of his Presidency.
In Tokyo, the PGA will hold a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Fumio Kushida, focusing on global challenges, as well as efforts to build on the already strong relationship between Japan and the United Nations.
The PGA will also hold a separate bilateral meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ms. Yoko Kamikawa, to exchange views on global and regional issues, the role of the General Assembly in uniting the international community, and topics on its agenda, including UN Security Council reform.
The PGA will also address a symposium hosted by the Institute for Future Initiatives at the University of Tokyo, to be followed by a question-and-answer session.
Throughout his engagements, the PGA will focus on Japan’s strong partnership in advancing transformative, human-centred solutions in the areas of sustainable development, international peace and security, and strengthened multilateralism.
At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions, the PGA is expected to highlight, in particular, the importance of solidarity, inclusion and gender equality, with a strong emphasis on women, peace and security.
On 12 February, the PGA will visit Hiroshima where he will lay a wreath in honour of those who perished in the atomic bombing in 1945, as well as the legacy of those who survived.
He will tour the Peace Memorial Museum and participate in a dialogue with a hibakusha, a survivor of the bombing. His delegation includes his Chef de Cabinet, a Senior Adviser and a Communications Adviser.
Travel costs are covered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the OPGA Trust Fund. We will send you more details after this briefing via email.
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PGA SPEAKS AT 2024 ANNUAL PARLIAMENTARY HEARING AT THE UN
This morning, President Dennis Francis delivered remarks at the opening of the 2024 Annual Parliamentary Hearing, a joint initiative between the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the President of the UN General Assembly.
The PGA spoke about the theme of this year: “Putting an end to conflicts: Prescriptions for a peaceful future”. The meeting led by IPU President, Ms. Tulia Ackson, and President Francis is taking place today and tomorrow in the ECOSOC chamber.
In his remarks, Mr. Francis highlighted global challenges “from climate change and pandemics to food insecurity and violent armed conflict.”
He said that: “the challenges confronting us today are too big for any one nation to handle alone. They transcend borders and weigh too heavily on any nation – big or small – and thus call for enhanced international cooperation among all nations, acting together across sectors and in collaboration with a range of stakeholders.”
The PGA believes that “no matter the issue, we see that global agendas simply cannot succeed without advocacy and progress at the national level – and so the role of parliamentarians is indispensable to all our endeavors.”
Hundreds of participants including parliamentarians, advisers and experts from 70 countries are attending the annual hearing.
For more information, you can go on the PGA’s website: www.un.org/pga/78.
PRESIDENT FRANCIS WELCOMES PGA’S FELLOWS IN NEW YORK
This morning, the President of the General Assembly welcomed five out of his six PGA Fellows for the current session of his Office. They will be with the PGA’s team until the end of July.
The initiative grants an opportunity to young diplomats to spend several months working in the Office of the President of the GA on global challenges and solutions to move towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
They have come to New York from developing countries, particularly Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), for training, mentorship and immersion in the work of the United Nations.
The PGA Fellows will be working across all teams on issues ranging from human rights and humanitarian affairs, sustainable development, political, peace and security, communications, GA affairs, UN reform and the Summit of the Future.
We welcome Ms. Brenda Pumarol (Dominican Republic), Ms. Maria David Collins (Kiribati), Mr. Sokniranh Phetrasy (Lao People’s Democratic Republic), Ms. Florencia Mtingwi (Malawi), Mr. Lado Lobor Lado (South Sudan), and Ms. Andrea Toweka (Zimbabwe). They are here today attending the briefing, and we wish them much success for their time with the PGA’s Office.
Welcome!
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