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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

26 March 2018

 

PRESIDENT LEAVES PRAGUE FOR BRUSSELS

  • The President wrapped up his two-day visit to Prague, Czech Republic, today.
  • While there, he spoke at an interactive dialogue at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Preparatory Meeting entitled “Towards sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies through participation of all”. In that gathering, he highlighted the importance of Governments, civil society, the private sector and youth, in shaping and implementing the 2030 Agenda.
  • He met with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babi? and discussed the work of the General Assembly, the Czech Presidency of ECOSOC, migration, conflict prevention and financing for the Sustainable Development Goals.
  • In a separate meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Martin Stropnick?, he spoke about multilateralism and his upcoming events, including the High-level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace.
  • He also met with the President of the Czech Parliament’s Chamber of Deputies, Radek Vondrá?ek. They spoke about sustaining peace, sustainable development, and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.
  • The President heads tonight to Brussels for meetings with officials from European institutions, the Belgian Government and the 蘑菇视频 Country Team.

 

TALKS ON PEACEBUILDING RESOLUTION BEING HELD TODAY

  • The co-facilitators leading the talks on a draft resolution to be adopted during the High-level Meeting on Peacebuilding and Sustaining Peace in April, are holding their first informal consultations

 

SLAVE TRADE VICTIMS CAN BE HONORED BY FIGHTING RACISM

  • The Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka, who also serves as a Vice President of the General Assembly, will deliver the President’s statement to the General Assembly’s commemorative meeting to mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. That will take place at 3:00 p.m. in the General Assembly Hall.
  • The President is expected to say that, while we cannot undo the past, we can make the future. And we honour those who suffered in slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade by promoting tolerance, justice and human dignity. We honour them by combatting racism; by ending human trafficking; and by upholding the basic tenet that we are all born equal, in freedom and dignity.

 

SECURITY CO蘑菇视频CIL REFORM TALKS TO FOCUS ON REGIONAL REPRESENTATION

  • The third informal meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council reform will take place tomorrow and Wednesday.
  • The Co-Chairs, who are the Permanent Representatives of Georgia and the United Arab Emirates, have asked Member States to focus on the cluster of regional representation.

 

MATTER OF RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT EXPULSIONS BEING FOLLOWED CLOSELY

  • The Spokesperson was asked about the President’s views on the United States’ decision to expel Russian diplomats, and the role of the United Nations’ Committee on Relations with the Host Country in that regard.
  • The Spokesperson said that the President was following the matter closely. He also said he had nothing to add to the lengthy response the Secretary-General’s office had already provided to journalists on this matter. He noted that he did not speak for the Committee on Relations with the Host Country.
  • Asked about the relationship between the General Assembly and the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, the Spokesperson said that the Committee was a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly with its own Chair.