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

United Nations Headquarters, New York

23 February 2021

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UKRAINE: ASSEMBLY HOLDS DEBATE ON TEMPORARILY OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

  • The General Assembly is currently holding a debate on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
  • There are 31 speakers on the list.
  • In his introductory remarks, the President said that, as signatories to the Charter, Member States are obliged to respect each other¡¯s sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom and political independence.
  • He welcomed the ceasefire that came into force in Ukraine last July and urged all parties to continue to respect and uphold that agreement.
  • He also strongly urged all parties to pursue a peaceful resolution to the conflict, on the basis of Ukraine¡¯s territorial integrity and sovereignty, through direct political dialogue and other peaceful mechanisms.

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MYANMAR: SPECIAL ENVOY TO BRIEF MEMBER STATES THIS FRIDAY

  • The Spokesperson was asked why the General Assembly¡¯s meeting on Myanmar, to be held on Friday, 26 February, was classified as ¡°informal¡±. The Spokesperson replied that, regardless of the classification, the meeting would be webcast so that media could watch the Special Envoy¡¯s briefing and hear how she answered Member States¡¯ questions.
  • The Spokesperson later clarified that the idea behind the Myanmar meeting was for the Special Envoy to provide a briefing for Member States, and briefings were done in ¡°informal¡± settings.
  • Asked which Member States had requested this meeting, the Spokesperson noted that the President had received a written request on 16 February from representatives of Canada, Costa Rica, The Gambia, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States, as well as the European Union.
  • At the same time, the Spokesperson noted that the meeting would have happened regardless, as the Special Envoy on Myanmar was mandated by a to “report to Member States every six months, or as warranted by the situation on the ground”.

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ACTION EXPECTED ON HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON A.I.D.S.

  • Today, the General Assembly plenary will take action on a , which would mandate a high-level meeting to review progress on commitments made in the 2016 Political Declaration towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030.
  • The envisioned dates for this high-level meeting, which normally takes place every five years, are 8 to 10 June 2021.
  • The plenary will also take action on two draft amendments to the resolution, one of which will be on behalf of a group of Member States, and another , also on behalf of a group.

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¡°WE CAN ONLY RECOVER BETTER TOGETHER,¡± PRESIDENT TELLS GLOBAL CITIZEN

  • The President sent a today to Global Citizen as it launched a new yearlong campaign, called ¡°Recovery Plan for the World.¡±
  • In the message, the President said that, over the past year, Governments have been discussing COVID-19 and its associated challenges at the General Assembly.
  • He added, ¡°We have considered the views of the experts. We have listened to the most vulnerable. We have heard from representatives from across the globe. The resounding message rings clear: We can only recover better together.¡±