Transcript?of the Press Briefing by the Spokesperson of the President of the General Assembly

Tuesday 19 November

 

The following is a near-verbatim transcript?of today¡¯s briefing.

Good afternoon, everyone

The President of the General Assembly Phil¨¦mon Yang spoke yesterday at the Fifth session of the Conference on the Establishment of Middle East Zone Free of nuclear weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction, urging the participating states to be bold in their deliberations towards the creation of the Middle East zone without further delay.?

The President also urged states with influence in the region and the international community at large to fully support and encourage a forward-looking outcome of the deliberations.??

Today, there is an informal meeting of the plenary on the intergovernmental negotiations on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Council. These intergovernmental negotiations are led by co-facilitators, the Permanent Representatives of Austria and Kuwait. The meeting continues on Thursday 21st November.?

Tomorrow, the election of members of the UN Commission on International Trade Law and a debate on use of the Veto will also take place.?

Second Committee?

In the Second Committee, resolutions entered the sixth and final round of negotiations.??

Two resolutions were adopted by a vote:?

  1. Oil Slick on Lebanese Shores?
  2. Permanent sovereignty of Palestinian people over natural resources?

Action on the remaining resolutions takes place this week.?

Third Committee?

With regard to the Third Committee, yesterday the Third Committee approved nine draft resolutions, including text on trafficking in women and girls, forced marriage, extreme poverty and the moratorium on the death penalty.?

?Fourth Committee?

For the Fourth Committee, the ¡°Comprehensive review of special political missions¡± and ¡°Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East¡± were on the agenda last week. A resolution entitled ¡°Comprehensive review of special political missions¡± was adopted by consensus.??

Tomorrow, actions on proposals will be taken under the items ¡°Â鶹APP Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East¡± and ¡°Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories¡±.?

Fifth Committee??

The Fifth Committee held three formal meetings during its sixth week of activities and had discussions on a variety of items including the UN Pension System, the Strategic Heritage Plan and the Subvention of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone.??

Sixth Committee?

The Sixth Committee will take action on all draft resolutions on 22 November 2024.?

High-Level Meetings?

As you know, on 25 November, the President of the General Assembly is convening a High-Level Meeting to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.?

Campaign on 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based violence?

Just to note that from 25 November to 10 December, President Yang will join the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign. This is an annual campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.??

Also, Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week started. The President¡¯s message on social media stresses the urgent need to ¡°act now to protect global health, food security, and sustainable development, ensuring equity and inclusion in the fight against AMR¡±.?

His travels?

The President of the General Assembly will be travelling to Doha to participate in the Doha Forum 2024, titled ¡°The Innovation Imperative¡± from 7-8 December 2024. We will send more details on that shortly.?

Media Contacts

Sharon Birch, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, Tel: + 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, mariam.shaikh@un.org

 

More Information and Updates?: Website:? ??:? ?: GA Resolutions during 79th?Session