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

U.N. HAS DUTY TO MAKE SURE RACISM LEFT IN PAST

• The General Assembly Plenary will meet at 3:00 p.m. today in the General Assembly Hall, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
• Since the President is not in New York, one of the Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly, the Permanent Representative of Vanuatu, will deliver a statement on his behalf.
• In that statement, the President is expected to say, ¡°Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has a duty to ensure that racial discrimination is left in the past¡­ Let us use the most diverse platform in the world to ensure equal treatment for all.¡±

WATER TO BE HIGHLIGHTED IN EXHIBIT OPENING AND DECADE LAÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵCH

• The Office of the President is scheduled to open an exhibit entitled ¡°Water Action Decade ¨C Countries¡¯ Perspectives¡±.
• The exhibit will focus on Sustainable Development Goal 6, which deals with access to clean water and sanitation. It will feature water-related photography from 12 different countries.
• As part of the opening, a Water Action Decade lightshow will be projected on the General Assembly building. The exhibit will be opened at the Delegates Entrance tomorrow from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. The projections should be able to be seen tomorrow from 1st Avenue from 7:15 to 8:15 pm ¨C and then again this Thursday from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. If the projections cannot take place tomorrow due to inclement weather, they will be shown again this Friday.
• This is all in advance of the President¡¯s high-level event this Thursday and Friday to launch the International Decade for Action on ¡°Water for Sustainable Development¡±.

HAPPINESS OF MIGRANTS A LITMUS TEST FOR EFFECTIVENESS OF MIGRATION POLICIES

• Today is the International Day of Happiness. It also happens to be the President¡¯s birthday.
• Right now, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network is holding an event to mark the International Day of Happiness in the Delegates Dining Room.
• The President¡¯s Chef de Cabinet is delivering remarks on his behalf.
• Since the World Happiness Report 2018 focuses on migration, he is expected to say that the happiness of migrants and their communities is like a litmus test to see whether policies are effective.
• When migration is well-managed, migrants are better off for it, and so are members of the wider community.

NORWUZ CAN BRING US TOGETHER, SHOULD BE CELEBRATED BY ALL

• The President¡¯s Chef de Cabinet will also deliver a statement on his behalf to commemorate the holiday of Nowruz. That event has been organized by 12 Permanent Missions and will be held in the ECOSOC Chamber at 3pm today.
• The statement is expected to highlight the role of Nowruz as a bridge-builder. Celebrated across many regions ¨C from the Balkans to Central and West Asia – Nowruz acts as a link between diverse countries and cultures. And, something that can bring us together is something that should be celebrated by all.

PRESIDENT IN SLOVAKIA IN HIS FOREIGN MINISTER CAPACITY

• Asked why the President¡¯s appointments in Slovakia were not being published on the office¡¯s web site, the Spokesperson clarified that the President was currently in Slovakia to be sworn in as the country¡¯s Foreign Minister.
• He was therefore not there in his capacity as President of the General Assembly. As such, his specific appointments were not being listed.
• Elaborating further, the Spokesperson noted that, since the President was in Slovakia in his capacity as Slovak Foreign Minister, the Slovak Government was funding his travel.