PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,
SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
15 February 2024
GA PRESIDENT PAYS COURTESY CALL ON PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN
The President of the General Assembly met with the Prime Minister of Japan, H.E., Mr. Fumio Kishida, on the last day of his official visit to the country. President Francis spoke about multilateralism, peace and security, and the importance of a world free of nuclear weapons.
The PGA also expressed his condolences to the families of the victims of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which took place on 1 January, as well as sympathy for those still being affected by the aftermath of the disaster.
The PGA and the Prime Minister exchanged views on the work of the General Assembly and the Summit of the Future—scheduled for September—as an opportunity to reinvigorate multilateralism.
Mr. Francis held a separate meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, H.E. Ms. Yoko Kamikawa. They spoke about several topics including Security Council reform, Sustainable Development Goals, advancing women, peace and security, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, climate change, and sea-level rise among other issues.
Earlier today in Tokyo, the PGA delivered remarks at a meeting with the Parliamentarian Coalition on Women, Peace and Security at the House of Representatives.
Mr. Francis highlighted that it is important to mobilize the full potential of women in building a safer, more equitable world.
He stated that, “There is no turning back. Women must be allowed, indeed be encouraged, to take their rightful place alongside men in a meaningful partnership to achieve peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all, with no one left behind.”
PGA APPOINTS CO-FACILITATORS ON PARTICIPATION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
President Dennis Francis has appointed two co-facilitators to conduct consultations on possible further measures necessary to enhance the participation of Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions in relevant United Nations meetings on issues affecting them.
In a letter, the PGA informed Member States that H.E. Mr. Robert Rae, the Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and H.E. Mr. Víctor García Toma, the Permanent Representative of Peru to the United Nations will serve as co-facilitators working with Member States and with Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions from all regions in the world.
In 2024, the theme of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is “Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination in the context of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: emphasizing the voice of indigenous youth”.
On the margins of the Permanent Forum—which will happen between the 15th and 26th of April—the President will convene on the 17th of April a High-Level event to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the outcome document of the High-Level plenary meeting of the GA known as the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
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