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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

25 November 2020

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PRESIDENT CALLS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCONSCIONABLE, URGES MEN TO STAND UP FOR WHAT¡¯S RIGHT

  • Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It also marks the start of the?16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, an annual global campaign.
  • In a , the President said that, over the past year, 243 million women and girls around the world have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence by an intimate partner.
  • And there has been a spike in reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought about global lockdown and shelter-in-place measures.
  • The President said this violence is unconscionable. None of us can stand by while any woman or girl lives in fear for her safety.
  • He said this is the time for men and boys around the world to stand up for what is right. It is essential that we end gender-based violence once and for all.
  • To show our solidarity on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, members of the Office of the President are wearing orange today.

NEW WEB PAGE LAÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵCHED FOR SPECIAL SESSION ON COVID-19

  • Turning to the General Assembly¡¯s special session on COVID-19, which will be held on 3 and 4 December, the President¡¯s Office has launched a new web page on the President¡¯s web site, where one can find regularly updated information.
  • One can access the page here.

PRESIDENT DISCUSSES DEVELOPMENT WITH CANDIDATE FOR O.E.C.D. HEAD

  • The President with former Australian Finance Minister and Senator Mathias Cormann, who is currently a nominee to become Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
  • They spoke about the relationship between the General Assembly and OECD and their shared responsibilities related to international development issues, which are so crucial to COVID-19 recovery.

PRESIDENT MEETS VIRTUALLY WITH I.L.O. CHIE

  • The President is with Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), who has confirmed his virtual participation in one of the panel discussions at the General Assembly¡¯s upcoming special session on COVID-19.
  • They are expected to discuss how they can work together on such topics as gender, biodiversity, the digital divide and the future of work.
  • The President will note that, next April, he will convene a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ High-level Dialogue on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought. In that regard, he will ask about ILO¡¯s work on environmental protection and job creation.?

PRESIDENT TO SPEAK WITH JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER

  • The President will meet virtually tonight with the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, H.E. Mr. Motegi Toshimitsu.
  • Expected topics of discussion include Japan¡¯s participation in the General Assembly, confronting COVID-19 through strengthening multilateralism, and the President¡¯s priorities for the 75th session.
  • A readout will be provided after the meeting.

PRESIDENT TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK

  • There will be no noon briefing tomorrow or Friday. And then on Monday, the normal press briefing will be conducted by the President¡¯s Deputy Spokesperson, Amy Quantrill.
  • Then, on Tuesday 1 December, the President himself will hold a press conference, in which he will tell the media about the General Assembly¡¯s special session on COVID-19 and his new initiative on #Vaccines4All.
  • Asked for more information on #Vaccines4All and whether it would entail a meeting of the General Assembly, the Spokesperson said this would be an initiative by the President to build political support around the idea of fair and equitable distribution of vaccines. The President would provide more information at his press conference on Tuesday 1 December, the Spokesperson added.
  • Asked whether the President would be conducting his press conference in person, the Spokesperson confirmed that the President would physically be in the press briefing room. He added that the press conference would be ¡°hybrid,¡± so that journalists could also participate from outside Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Headquarters.