HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING BY FARHAN HAQ,
DEPUTY SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTÓNIO GUTERRES
THURSDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2023
 

INDONESIA 
The Secretary-General will be leaving Jakarta to head to the G20 summit in New Delhi.  
Speaking to the 13th ASEAN-UN summit, the Secretary-General noted the strong partnership that exists between the two organizations, notably since the adoption of the UN/ASEAN comprehensive partnership ten years ago. In a world of growing fragmentation, he congratulated ASEAN for its continued support for multilateral solutions and all its efforts towards bridgebuilding, dialogue and conflict prevention.  
Speaking about the situation in Myanmar, he said that “brutal violence, worsening poverty, and systematic repression are crushing hopes for a return to democracy.” Mr. Guterres reiterated his call on the military authorities of Myanmar to free all detained leaders and political prisoners and open the door towards the full restoration of democratic rule. 
The Secretary-General also told the assembled leaders that ASEAN is uniquely positioned to set an example to the world when it comes to fighting climate change and protecting biodiversity. He commended those ASEAN member states who are taking the bold decision to accelerate the phaseout of coal and jumpstart a fair and inclusive renewables revolution.  
In his remarks to the press prior to the Summit, Mr. Guterres said that ASEAN has been an important factor for unity in a divided world. 
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Secretary-General met with Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia; Nanaia Mahuta, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, and Li Qiang, Premier of the People’s Republic of China.

SYRIA 
This morning, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, briefed Security Council members on the implementation of Security Council resolution 2118 related to the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme. 
She emphasized that any use of chemical weapons is unacceptable and a clear violation of international law, adding that the United Nations will continue to support all efforts to uphold the norm against chemical weapons, and to relegate these dreadful weapons to history. 
 
SECURITY COUNCIL  
This afternoon, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the Head of the Peace Operations department, will brief the Security Council in a session dedicated to UN peacekeeping operations. 

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 
The UN Children’s Fund today said that children are migrating through Latin America and the Caribbean in record numbers and now account for a larger share of the migrant population than other regions in the world. 
Record numbers of children are on the move using three major migration routes in Latin America and the Caribbean - through the Darién jungle between Colombia and Panama, transiting from South America, and using key transit points in northern Central America and Mexico.  
 
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 
As students are returning to school after the summer break in many parts of the world, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is calling on governments to implement appropriate regulations and teacher training, to ensure a human-centred approach to using Generative AI in education.  
To this end, the agency published its first global Guidance on Generative AI in Education and Research, designed to address the disruptions caused by Generative AI technologies. 
UNESCO says that generative AI can be an opportunity for human development, but it can also cause harm and prejudice. It adds that it cannot be integrated into education without public engagement, and the necessary safeguards and regulations from governments.  
 
INTERNATIONAL DAYS 
Today is the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, and the theme for this year is “We must act together for clean air.”  
In his message for the Day, the Secretary-General says that together, we must accelerate a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels, particularly coal, towards clean renewable energy, while ensuring that no one is left behind. 
And today, as we mark the first International Day of Police Cooperation, the Secretary-General underscores in his message for this Day that the UN supports countries in ensuring that women are equally represented in all functions, including as leaders, of the police workforce. 

FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION 
Guinea is the 134th Member State to pay its dues to the UN’s regular budget.
 
NOON BRIEFING GUESTS
Today, the noon briefing guests will be Sarah E. Hendriks, UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director for Policy, Programme, Civil Society, and Intergovernmental Support; Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); and Cindy Cox-Roman, the CEO of HelpAge USA. They will launch the Gender Snapshot 2023.   
At 1:00 p.m., there will be a briefing here in this room by Gary Conille, UNICEF’s Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, on “The Changing Face of Child Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean”.      
 
NOON BRIEFING GUEST – TOMORROW 
Tomorrow, the noon briefing guest will be Yasmine Sherif, the Executive Director of Education Cannot Wait (ECW).   
She will brief on a new report which will launch tomorrow, International Literacy Day. 
The report analyzes the latest trends in education in emergencies, including alarming increasing needs, and reveals new data on ECW’s work with UN and civil society partners in supporting quality education for girls and boys caught in crises worldwide.