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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

27 January 2021

PRESIDENT CALLS FOR VACCINES FOR ALL, AS WORLD REACHES 100 MILLION COVID-19 CASES

  • In a , the President noted that the world has now surpassed the grim milestone of 100 million COVID-19 cases.
  • In that context, he called on all Member States to urgently mobilize resources and demonstrate solidarity and leadership to make vaccines available for all.

PRESIDENT PAYS TRIBUTE TO VICTIMS & SURVIVORS ON HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION DAY

  • Today is?the International Day?of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. To mark the occasion, the President released a , which was shown during the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ¡¯s commemoration ceremony this morning.
  • In that message, he said, ¡°On this day, we honour the millions of Jews and the other groups who lost their lives during a time of unparalleled inhumanity in the middle of Europe. On this day, we remember those who survived the Holocaust and their pain.¡±
  • Noting that the victims became targets of hatred and violence because of who they were, he said this all?began as intolerance and bigotry, evolved into a systematic campaign and ended as genocide.
  • He said we must never lose sight of what went wrong and must ensure that it never happens again.
  • He added that we are once again faced with a rising tide of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. We are witnessing hatred towards other minorities and religious groups.?
  • In that regard, he called for vigilance and condemnations of intolerance. He added, ¡°Inertia is not an option.¡±?
  • Today¡¯s commemorative ceremony was organized in part by The Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme, which was established by the General Assembly in 2005.

COORDINATION BETWEEN GENERAL ASSEMBLY & ECOSOC NEEDED NOW MORE THAN EVER

  • Today at 3:00 p.m., Member States will hear a joint briefing by the Presidents of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
  • This practice of joint briefings was first instituted in 2019 during the General Assembly¡¯s 73rd session ¨C to ensure coherence, address overlapping mandates, and improve the efficiency, content and quality of the work of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system.
  • The President is expected to say this afternoon that such a coordinated approach is needed now more than ever ¨C with recovery from COVID-19 looming before us and with urgent action needed to accelerate progress on the 2030 Agenda.
  • He will stress the need to address recurring gaps in financing for development and link that to pandemic recovery efforts.
  • He will also say that with trillions of dollars pouring into recovery efforts, and with clear setbacks to development gains across the board, it is imperative that we aim for a transformational recovery. He¡¯ll add that what has set us back, can also propel us forward.
  • He will also highlight his #Vaccines4All?initiative and encourage Member States to join him in drumming up public and political support for access to COVID-19 vaccines as a global public good.