{"id":210099,"date":"2020-04-24T23:57:53","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T03:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/74\/?p=210099"},"modified":"2020-05-01T15:44:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T19:44:16","slug":"press-briefing-by-the-spokesperson-24-april-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/74\/2020\/04\/24\/press-briefing-by-the-spokesperson-24-april-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Briefing By the Spokesperson- 24 April 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

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HIGHLIGHTS OF PRESS BRIEFING BY REEM ABAZA, <\/strong>SPOKESPERSON FOR <\/strong>GENERAL ASSEMBLY <\/strong>PRESIDENT <\/strong>TIJJANI MUHAMMAD-BANDE<\/strong><\/h1>\n

United Nations Headquarters, New York<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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24 April 2020<\/span><\/p>\n

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Multilateralism<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to start with today\u2019s virtual event organized by the International Peace Institute (IPI), in partnership with the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the Asia Society Policy Institute on \u201cThe Importance of Multilateralism in the Time of a Global Pandemic: Responding to COVID-19.\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The President of the General Assembly Tijjani Muhammad-Bande said \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cIn the face of mounting challenges, we are reminded of the indispensability of the United Nations and of multilateral institutions more broadly. The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has provided from the onset a forum to address this global challenge in a coordinated way. We must, therefore, continue to support the World Health Organization to overcome this challenge and to prevent future pandemics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Financing for Development<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yesterday, the PGA spoke at the informal virtual meeting of the 2020 ECOSOC Forum on Financing for development. He said that mobilising sufficient resources will be essential in order to effectively combat COVID-19. He added that \u201cwhile no country will be spared from the economic impact of this crisis, developing countries will be hit the hardest, even if they do not experience an outbreak of COVID-19.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PGA said: In order to minimise the real risks of rising debt levels, we need political will and steadfast international cooperation. He called on all Member States to help ensure crucial liquidity in many developing countries suffering from a heavy debt burden.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Co-coordinators<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just in case you haven\u2019t seen my email, earlier this week the PGA announced the appointment of Mrs. Adela Raz, the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, and Mr. Ivan \u0160imonovi\u0107, Permanent Representative of Croatia, as co-coordinators for the General Assembly on COVID-19-related initiatives.<\/p>\n

The co-coordinators will engage with Member States in order to \u00a0facilitate the exchange of views, coordinate approaches and initiatives, as well as leverage the influence of the Assembly to effectively advocate for measures aimed at defeating COVID-19, while mitigating its social and economic impact.<\/p>\n

In a letter sent to Member States, the President of the General Assembly said that from his engagement with Member States and consultations with the General Committee, it is evident that everyone agrees on the need\u00a0 for more coordination in the response to the ongoing global crisis.<\/p>\n

Voting<\/strong><\/p>\n

With the limitations on holding large in-person meetings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several Member States have requested that we explore ways of taking decisions of the General Assembly by a vote.<\/p>\n

The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretariat prepared documents to guide discussions regarding voting (excluding elections) without a plenary meeting during the (COVID-19) pandemic\u201d and on the e-Recorded Vote system.\u00a0 The PGA has sent a letter to Member States informing them that he has appointed\u00a0H. E. Mr. Courtenay Rattray, Permanent Representative of Jamaica, to facilitate the discussions on this matter.<\/p>\n

Member States would cast their votes by an appropriate electronic means. DGACM has developed a system in the e-deleGATE portal<\/strong> that would allow for a recorded vote without a plenary meeting. The system would allow a Member State to cast its vote on a form provided in e-deleGATE and to remove or modify its vote during the voting process, if necessary.<\/p>\n

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