PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,
SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
3 May 2024
Good afternoon, everyone! Happy Press Freedom Day! I will start with a trip announcement.
PGA TO TRAVEL TO WASHINGTON TO EVENT AT NATIONAL PRESS CLUB
The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, will travel to Washington, D.C, on Sunday, to speak at the Headliner speaker at a Newsmaker event in the National Press Club Building, on Monday, 6 May.
The PGA will use the opportunity to address the UN’s role in responding to today’s geopolitical challenges, highlighting the importance of a UN-led multilateral system, as well as topics related to peace and security; and the upcoming Summit of the Future in September.
The Newsmaker event will take place at 10 a.m., in the National Press Club’s First Amendment Lounge.
The PGA will start the event by delivering opening remarks, followed by an interactive session with journalists moderated by the President of the National Press Club and CNBC Washington Correspondent, Ms. Emily Wilkins.
Previous speakers at the National Press Club have included Heads of State and Government, as well as international leaders and personalities, among them Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Martin Luther King Jr., Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammad Ali, and others.
The PGA’s delegation includes his Chef de Cabinet, a Media Adviser and a media assistant. Travel costs to Washington D.C. are covered by the OPGA’s Trust Fund.
The event will be livestreamed on the NPC’s digital channels and shared across the PGA’s digital media channels. So, tune in on Monday, 10 a.m.!
PRESIDENT FRANCIS RELEASES MESSAGE, JOINT STATEMENT ON WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY
The PGA issued a joint statement to mark World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated today.
Mr. Francis co-signed a statement with the Presidents of UNESCO General Conference, the Economic and Social Council, Ecosoc, and the Human Rights Council.
This year, World Press Freedom Day is dedicated to the importance of journalism and freedom of expression in the context of the current global environmental crisis.
According to UNESCO, 44 journalists were murdered in the last 15 years in connection with their coverage of environmental issues.
The UN agency also says that 65 media professionals were killed in the line of duty last year.
In the joint statement, President Dennis Francis and his co-authors recall that “freedom of information is a fundamental human right.”
They condemned the killings of journalists and media workers everywhere, including in conflict situations, as well as any attempts to harass, intimidate, attack, or arbitrarily detain journalists and media workers.
The four Presidents urged Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence, intimidation, threats and attacks against journalists and media workers.
The PGA recorded a video message on World Press Freedom Day, which will be available on his YouTube channel.
Mr. Francis also issued a post on his X social media account recalling the words of Mahatma Gandhi and I quote: “Freedom of the press is a precious privilege that no country can forego.”
PGA DENNIS FRANCIS CONCLUDES VISIT TO DOHA, QATAR
The PGA is on his way back to the United States, after concluding his participation in the Annual Meeting of the Council of Presidents of the UN General Assembly (UNCPGA), earlier today in Doha, Qatar.
Mr. Francis highlighted the importance of turning “dialogue into action, rebuilding trust and working towards a more peaceful and sustainable future.”
Whilst in Doha, he met with Dr. Han Seung-soo, Chair of the UNCPGA, and also with Qatar’s high-level leadership such as His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, and His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, as well as Her Excellency, Lolwah Rashid Al-Khater, Minister of State for International Cooperation to reflect on the state of global affairs. The PGA also granted interviews to Qatar News Agency and Al Araby TV.
And now a couple of notes for your diaries…
GA WILL MEET ON USE OF THE VETO ON MONDAY, 6 MAY
The General Assembly will hold a plenary meeting, on Monday, 6 May, at 10 a.m. under agenda item 63 entitled “use of the veto” in the GA Hall.
This meeting follows a veto cast in a meeting of the Security Council, held on 24 April, under the agenda item ‘Non-proliferation’.
PGA TO CONVENE RESUMPTION OF TENTH EMERGENCY SPECIAL SESSION
On Friday, 10 May, the General Assembly will resume the tenth Emergency Special Session (ESS), at 10 a.m. in the GA Hall.
Entitled “Illegal Israeli Actions in occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, the tenth Emergency Special Session was first convened in April 1997 following a request by the State of Qatar.
This time, the resumption of the ESS was requested in a letter sent to President Francis on 24 April by H. E. Mr. Abdulaziz M. Alwasil, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations in his capacity of Chair of the Arab Group; H. E. Mr. Sidi Mohamed Laghdaf, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania to the United Nations in his capacity as Chair of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Group, and H.E. Mr. Adonia Ayebare, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, who is also the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement.
More details and updates on this meeting will be brought to you as soon as we receive them.
WORLD DAY OF THE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE
Finally: President Dennis Francis wishes all Portuguese-speaking peoples around the world a very Happy World Day of the Portuguese Language, which is marked on 5 May, by the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, CPLP, since 2009, and by UNESCO since 2019.
Portuguese is spoken in four continents as the official language of nine countries, by approximately 285 million people, and is also, according to UNESCO, the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere.
Feliz Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa!
This is all for today. Do you have any questions?
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