PRESS BRIEFING BY BRENDEN VARMA, SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT VOLKAN BOZKIR

United Nations Headquarters, New York

30 October 2020

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ASSEMBLY TO RESUME IN-PERSON MEETINGS NEXT WEEK

  • Following advice from the Secretariat, the President is?informing Member States today that in-person meetings of the General Assembly will resume at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Headquarters, starting on Monday, 2 November.

PRESIDENT EXPRESSES DISMAY OVER REPORTS OF QUAKE IN TURKEY & GREECE

  • This morning the President??that he was following news of the earthquake in Turkey and Greece with much dismay.
  • He said natural disasters do not respect borders. That is why we have to remember each other’s humanity and shared history ¨C and work together to combat such threats.
  • He said he stands today with Turkey and Greece.

SPECIAL SESSION ON COVID-19 TO BE LANDMARK EVENT IN COLLECTIVE FIGHT AGAINST PANDEMIC

  • On the General Assembly special session on COVID-19, yesterday the final draft resolution on the modalities was circulated to Member States.
  • The draft will now be considered for adoption by a?plenary meeting on Thursday, 5 November.
  • The timeline is tight.??And for the special session on 3-4 December to be a success,?the President¡¯s office will need to start?making arrangements?now.?
  • The special session will be a landmark event in our collective and coordinated fight against the pandemic.? ?
  • The first day will be a General Debate with statements by Heads of State and Government.?
  • The second day will feature an interactive dialogue on coordination efforts across the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system to address the pandemic and its impacts.
  • The President considers the special session to be an opportunity for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and General Assembly to demonstrate leadership. ?

CITIES MUST BE DRIVERS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

  • Tomorrow is World Cities Day.
  • In a video message, the President says that, as we increasingly live in cities, it is critical that we plan them so they are drivers of sustainable development.

PRESIDENT CONDEMNS TERROR ATTACK IN FRANCE?

  • The President??his strong condemnation yesterday of the recent terror attack in Nice, France. He said terrorism has no religion or ethnicity. So, we must all unite against it.
  • He conveyed his condolences to the French Government and people, as well as the families of those who lost their lives in the heinous attack.

DISARMAMENT COMMITTEE TO START VOTING ON RESOLUTIONS ON TUESDAY?

  • Asked when the Assembly¡¯s First Committee, which covers disarmament, would start voting on resolutions, the Spokesperson noted that it had been planning to vote on all of its resolutions this week.
  • However, in light of the postponement of this week¡¯s Committee meetings, the First Committee would now start voting on the afternoon of Tuesday, 3 November.