Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson of the President of the UN General Assembly
(11 March 2025)
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing
Good afternoon, everyone
Following the recent violent attacks in Syria, the President of the UN General Assembly condemns the killing of innocent civilians. He calls on the Syrian authorities to maintain calm and protect civilians in line with international humanitarian law. Perpetrators of crimes must be held accountable. Respecting the human rights and dignity of all Syrians, in particular women, children and minorities are of paramount importance. The President calls on all Syrians to work together towards a peaceful and inclusive future.
The 69th Commission on the Status of Women
This is, of course, an important month for Gender Equality. At the opening of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women yesterday, the President of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang stated that it is possible to achieve gender equality in our lifetime, if we seize this opportunity. It demands greater resources, decisive legislation and policies, the dismantling of discriminatory norms, and institutional reforms.
At the international level, it requires a steadfast commitment to leveraging multilateralism to uphold and advance gender equality, including through the revitalization of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Continuing this week
Yesterday, there were consultations on the declaration for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.
On Thursday 13 March there will be informal consultations on the World Summit on the Information Society.
Then this Friday 14th March, there will be an informal meeting of the plenary to commemorate the International Day to Combat Islamophobia from 10 am to 1 pm in the General Assembly Hall.
Events taking place next week
Combating the illicit use of small arms and light weapons is one of the President’s priorities. Small arms and light weapons are the leading cause of violent deaths globally, disproportionately affecting women, often contributing to intimate partner violence, femicide, and gender-based violence.
To this end, a joint informal meeting of the President of the General Assembly and the President of ECOSOC in cooperation with the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs – titled “Small arms and light weapons control for preventing violence and advancing sustainable development” will take place on Monday 17 March in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at 10 am.
At the end of next week also, Friday 21 March, there will be a commemorative meeting at 10 am in the General Assembly Hall to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Just an update on UN Security Reform
On the intergovernmental negotiations on UN Security Reform, H.E. Alexander Marschik, one of the co-chairs of these negotiations, has completed his assignment as the Permanent Representative of Austria to the UN. The President thanks Ambassador Marschik for his dedication and hard work. H.E. Tareq M.A.M Albanai, Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait to the UN, will continue as the sole chair of the IGN process.
We have also flagged some upcoming dates in the weekly Highlights that we send every Friday.
- There will be the informal briefing by G-20 Sherpa of South Africa on 24 March. This will be on the priorities of South Africa’s Presidency of the Group of 20.
- There will a commemorative meeting on the Intl Day of remembrance of the victims of slavery and transatlantic slave trade on 25 March
- And finally, the President of the UN General Assembly will convene a series of informal interactive dialogues to support the implementation of the Pact for the Future. The first informal interactive dialogue takes place on 26 March and will focus on Means of Implementation.
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Media Contacts
Sharon Birch, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, Tel: +1 212 963 0564, M: +1 646 342 5873, Email: birchs@un.org
Dr. Mariam Shaikh, Adviser/ Social and Digital Media/Media Relations, M: +1 917 3614990, Email: mariam.shaikh@un.org
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Resolutions of the 79th Session – UN General Assembly
