HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY BRENDEN VARMA,?SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT MIROSLAV LAJ??K

United Nations Headquarters, New York

6 October 2017

 

 

PRESIDENT SENDS CONDOLENCES TO STORM-HIT CENTRAL AMERICA & CONGRATULATES NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER

  • This morning, via , the President sent his condolences to those affected by Tropical Storm Nate in Costa Rica, Honduras and Nicaragua.
  • He also tweeted his congratulations to the International Campaign to Abolish?Nuclear?Weapons for winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

PRESIDENT DISCUSSES GLOBAL ISSUES WITH EXTERNAL ADVISORS

  • The President is meeting today in New York with four members of his . They are Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Carlos Lopes, Irina Bokova and Jean-Marie Guéhenno.
  • As communicated earlier, the team may continue to expand as additional eminent personalities confirm their availability to participate. Just today, the Office of the President received confirmation from former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy that he will be able to serve on the President’s team.
  • Asked why one of the advisors, Jeffrey Sachs, had not come to today’s meeting, the Spokesperson said he had simply been unavailable. Today’s meeting had been open to all members who were able to participate, and it was not required that all members of the team attend every meeting. The President would continue to interact with individual team members as he saw fit. For example, he had recently held a substantive discussion on his priorities with Kishore Mahbubani by telephone.
  • Asked about media reports in Kenya that Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed now had a “蘑菇视频 job”, the Spokesperson clarified that membership on the Team of External Advisors did not mean that the advisors were United Nations employees or staff. They were serving in their own capacities without any salaries from the United Nations. Asked whether any team member would be lobbying the President on behalf of interests in their own countries, the Spokesperson stressed that the team members would only be advising on how to advance the President’s priorities and discussing global issues that were of concern to the President, the General Assembly and the United Nations in general.

 

BUDGET COMMITTEE’S WORK AFFECTS US ALL

  • This morning the President delivered to the General Assembly’s Fifth Committee, which deals with administrative and budgetary matters.
  • He said, “The Fifth Committee’s work affects us all, both within and outside this building.”
  • He added, “The resources available and the management of these resources affect this Organization’s ability to do its job – to improve the lives of people.”

 

NEW STAFF MEMBERS JOIN PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

  • The Office of the President is getting two new staff members. Ms. Sharifa Al-Nesf?of Qatar will be helping with communications, and Ms. Nichola Nokulunga Sabelo of South Africa will join our Peace and Security team.
  • Their addition increases regional representation in the office. Their photos and bios will be posted on the as soon as possible.
  • Asked how many people were working in the Office of the President, the Spokesperson said there were currently 26, and with the two new members, that number had gone up to 28.