Transcript of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson of the President of the UN General Assembly
(22 April 2025)
The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today’s briefing.
Good afternoon, everyone
Statement on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis
The President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang expressed profound sorrow and the deepest respect on the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis.
In his statement, President Yang said that as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis was a principled and compassionate leader, and a spiritual guide to billions of people. He expresses his deepest condolences to the Pope’s family and friends, to his home country of Argentina, and to Catholics and others around the world who were inspired by his life of prayer and service.
Press briefing on reform of the UN Security Council
A special thanks to H.E. Mr. Tareq AlBanai, Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait to the UN for briefing journalists last Thursday in his capacity as Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the reform of the UN Security Council. Also thanks to journalists for attending.
H.E. Mr. Albanai stated that while the road to reform is undeniably complex, steady and meaningful steps are being taken forward. He added that, with continued constructive engagement, growing convergence around principles of transparency, inclusivity, and accountability, and the momentum generated by the Pact for the Future, he remains hopeful that this session can lay the groundwork for real and lasting progress.
Meetings this week
A high-level meeting on Harmony with Nature and Living well is taking place today on International Mother Earth Day. In his remarks, President Yang stated that sustainable development and harmony with nature must remain high on the agenda. He called upon Member States, Governments, policy makers and civil society to work together to implement the Pact for the Future, including Action 10, which underscores the importance of living in harmony with nature.
He also stressed that development at the expense of nature is not development at all.
Tomorrow there will be intergovernmental consultations on the high-level meeting to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth.
On Thursday, intergovernmental consultations on the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance take place.
Meetings next week
Next Monday, there will be informal consultations on the high-level meeting on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the promotion of mental health and well-being.
395 stakeholders have been approved to attend the 2025 Multi-stakeholder Hearing on NCDs and the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-being on 2 May. This is ahead of the UN High-Level meeting on the issue in September. To note that the special accreditation process for the High-Level Meeting in September is open until 20 May 2025 at 12:00 p.m. (EDT).
Next week, there will also be an address by the President of the Republic of Paraguay, His Excellency Santiago Pena on 29 April in the General Assembly Hall.
Announcements
There is now a list of twenty countries whose high-level representatives will co-chair the ten Ocean Action Panels at the 2025 UN Ocean Conferences. These co-chairs have been selected based on regional distribution, gender balance and the capacity to participate at the ministerial level and above.
With regard to the informal interactive dialogue on 15 May 2025 that President Yang is convening with H.E. Annalena Baerbock, the candidate for the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, a reminder that the deadline for submission of questions by civil society representatives and individuals is this Friday 25 April.
Thank you
Watch here: https://youtu.be/WhdG6p3Dc6Q?si=mYo2lYNle-8AABXZ
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: +1 917 361 4990, Email: mariam.shaikh@un.org
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