Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson of the President of the UN General Assembly
(25 March 2025)
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing
Good afternoon, everyone
Today is the International Day of Solidarity with detained and missing staff members. The President of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang, in his message for the Day, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all United Nations personnel detained in Yemen and elsewhere. He says that our detained colleagues dedicated themselves to educating children, providing critical medical and food assistance to millions and to promoting peace and dialogue. Their work must be safeguarded. He stands in full solidarity with all those detained and states that they must be released and protected.
Meetings this week
A commemorative meeting on the International Day of Remembrance of the victims of slavery and transatlantic slave trade started this morning. The theme ‘Acknowledge the past, repair the present. Build a future of dignity and justice. In his opening remarks, President Yang stated that the fight against the remnants of slavery must be global. He added that it is only through collective action that we can build a world where dignity and justice prevail.
Today, there are also informal consultations on the High-Level meeting to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Yesterday, there was an informal briefing on the priorities of South Africa’s Presidency of the Group of 20. President Yang stressed that as we advance the implementation of the Pact, the Group of 20 will be critical to ensuring that inequities are addressed, more resources are provided and better terms for development lending are negotiated.
The first informal interactive dialogue on the implementation of the Pact for the Future takes place tomorrow, 26 March, in the Trusteeship Council from 10 am to 1 pm and will focus on means of implementation. This dialogue may be followed live on UN WebTV
This Friday, there will also be informal consultations on the World Social Summit.
Next week – Meetings
There will be a high-level meeting on Middle Income Countries on 1 April to discuss the structural barriers for middle income countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and explore the impact of new approaches that go beyond GDP.
The President has also convened an informal meeting on 2 April to hear a briefing on Missing Persons by Volker Turk, High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the Secretary-General. This is with reference to resolution 77/220 on Missing Persons which invites the President to convene an informal biennial meeting from the 79th session onward and requests the Secretary-General to brief the Assembly during such meetings on the comprehensive report regarding the implementation of the present resolution.
Intergovernmental consultations on the high-level meeting on the Global Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons take place on 3 April.
New candidate for the President of the General Assembly
Following up on a question posed last week, we wish to confirm that H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock has been nominated by Germany to be the next President of the General Assembly. The election of the President of the General Assembly for the 80th session will be held on Monday, 2 June 2025 at 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall.
Questions
Question: I am just curious to know whether you have heard of UN staff being told to carry credentials because of immigration officials?
Response: Yes, this was also raised in Stephane’s briefing as well. It is just a reminder that we should always have identification with us at all times. It was just a reminder, in case we are asked, to just provide this identification, whether it is a UN Grounds Pass or a copy of your passport.
Question: Was there a broadcast sent? And when was this sent?
Response: I believe it was last week, I am not sure, but I think it was late last week. But it is just a question – in terms of – this is something that we should be doing, in terms of always ensuring we have our UN Grounds Pass on us.
Question: This reporter said US immigrations agents have on multiple occasions approached and ordered UN employees to show proof that they are in the United States legally according to an internal March 13 UN email from a senior UN security official.
Response. I am unaware of that communication. I can only refer to the Broadcast that was a reminder to all UN Staff members to ensure that you have your UN Grounds Pass with you at all times as well as, if possible, a copy of your passport.
Question: So, following up on that same question, does the President of the General Assembly feel any heat from the Trump administration as a whole that might influence the relation between the UN and the US as a host country?
Response: I would like to say that, one, the President recognizes that the US is a leading partner of the United Nations, an invaluable contributor to development, the work of the UN. The President looks forward to engaging with the US administration in terms of, you know, advancing the UN’s mandate for peace, human rights, protection of human rights and social benefits to make sure that everyone has it. So, at this point, there is hope that the relationship is going to be enhanced when the incoming Ambassador comes in.
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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