Spokesperson's Press Briefing- September 17, 2024 | General Assembly of the United Nations

Transcript of the Press Briefing by PGA’S Spokesperson

79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

September 17, 2024

Good afternoon, everyone

My name is Sharon Birch, the Spokesperson for the President of the 79^th session of the UN General Assembly, H.E Philémon Yang.

I have had the pleasure of working with some of you in the past and look forward to working with all of you in the coming year.

Let me take the opportunity to thank President Yang, Chef de Cabinet Mr. Fung as well as the Head of the UN Department of Global Communications Melissa Fleming for the trust they have placed in me.

The President of the 79^th session of the General Assembly assumed office on 10^th September 2024 in a formal handover ceremony with a commitment to drive peace, justice, and sustainable development for all, together by uniting in action and upholding the principles of multilateralism.

At a briefing to new delegates organised by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), President Yang stated that the 79^th session will lay the groundwork for decisions that will shape the future of our United Nations.

Now to some highlights

As you are aware, the 10^th Emergency Special Session resumed this morning to consider a draft resolution entitled ‘Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

The PGA, in his opening remarks, stressed that it is our collective duty, as representatives of the international community, to ensure that the principles of justice and the rule of law prevail.
He said that without justice and the rule of law, Israelis and Palestinians alike will not attain what they long for most: peace and security.

Looking ahead.

In addition to the annual General Debate (24-30 September), the PGA will be engaged in several critical events, including Action Days, the Summit of the Future (22-23 September), a High-Level meeting on the existential threats posed by sea-level rise (25 September) and 2 High-Level Meetings on 26 September – High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance and the High-Level Meeting to promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

Information on the events is available on PGA’s website under events tab.

Speakers List/Speeches

The Lists of Speakers for the General Debate and the Summit of the Future are now live. We will send the links later today with additional lists of speakers for the other events that we have just received.

BILATERALS

As is the practice, President Yang will be meeting world leaders and senior officials from the international system in the coming days.

There will be readouts available on the PGA website, under a section being created called “readouts”.

Photos and videos from the meetings will be on the President’s social media accounts.

New Website

The PGA’S new website and social media channels including Twitter/X; LinkedIn, Instagram, are up and running. We are updating all the latest communication including letters and statements instantly.

We will also share the contact information of the media team later today.

One last thing. Some information on housekeeping. These briefings will take place on a weekly basis unless additional ones are needed. However, we encourage you to reach out if you need assistance.

Thank you. Are there any questions?

Watch Briefing Here:

Speaker’s List