Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson of the President of the UN General Assembly
(1 April 2025)
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing
Good afternoon, everyone
First of all, we sent out a statement last Friday on behalf of the President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang, on the devastating earthquake in Myanmar and neighboring countries, that caused significant destruction, damage, and loss of lives. The President stands in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones. He also welcomes the mobilization of emergency response efforts by the UN and its partners.
Meetings – This week
A high-level meeting on Middle-Income Countries started this morning in the General Assembly Hall to discuss the structural barriers for middle-income countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and to explore the impact of new approaches that go beyond Gross Domestic Product. The meeting will continue this afternoon in the Trusteeship Council from 3 to 6 pm.
Also happening today are intergovernmental consultations on the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
Tomorrow, there will be an informal meeting to hear a briefing on Missing Persons by Mr. Volker Turk, High Commissioner for Human Rights on behalf of the Secretary-General.
Intergovernmental consultations on the high-level meeting on the Global Plan of Action to combat trafficking in persons take place on Thursday 3 April.
Meetings – Next week
There will be intergovernmental consultations on the declaration for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference on Wednesday and Thursday, 9 and 10 April.
Next Month
The President is convening a special solemn meeting of the General Assembly in commemoration of all the victims of the Second World War on Wednesday, 7 May.
The President is also convening an informal interactive dialogue, with the support of the International Labour Organization on Tuesday, 13 May, entitled Childhood with Dignity: Eliminating Child labour in all its forms, including forced recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.
SIDS Partnership Awards
Please note that applications for the submission of nominations for the United Nations Small Island Developing States (UN-SIDS) Partnerships Awards 2025 are now open.
The UN-SIDS Partnerships Awards 2025 seek to recognize and reward the efforts of the best and most noteworthy, genuine and durable partnerships in the implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS. The deadline for application is Friday, 13 June
Upcoming travel by the PGA
The President will be going to Slovakia on 9 to 10 April to attend a meeting of the UN Council of Presidents of the General Assembly, then to Turkiye for the Antalya Diplomacy Forum from 11 to 13 April. More details will be shared shortly.
Questions and responses
Question: Just on tomorrow’s address by Volker Turk, you said on Missing persons, is it on specific countries or in general?
Response: In general, yes
Question: Does the PGA have a statement on the UN staff killed in Gaza? The Red Cross issued a statement saying that they are outraged by this, that their staff was targeted. [Note: The International Committee of the Red Cross has Observer Status, but it is not a UN body]
Response: The President of the General Assembly condemns the attack and the killings and he stresses the importance of international law, international humanitarian law in line with the UN Charter…that humanitarian aid workers and civilians must be protected at all times.
Question: Is there a collective call from the UN for an investigation?
Response: That is not something I can comment on at this time.
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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