NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS BY PAULINA KUBIAK GREER,
SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT ABDULLA SHAHID
United Nations Headquarters, New York
?MIGRATION
The General Assembly this morning is focusing on migration.
The aim of this informal meeting of the plenary is to brief Member States, stakeholders, and partners in the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ system, on issues raised in the report of the Secretary General, on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), including its recommendations for further strengthening efforts to implement the Compact.
In his address, President Abdulla Shahid called on Member States to consider making pledges for concrete actions that foster bilateral and regional cooperation, prior to the Forum ¨C which will be held from 17 to 20 May, and preceded by a multistakeholder hearing on 16 May.
He also noted that the voice of all stakeholders in the deliberations will be critical. And encouraged Member States to consult with national counterparts on national strategies.
The President also announced that he had appointed Ambassador Rabab Fatima, the Permanent Representative of Bangladesh, and Ambassador Olivier Maes, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg, as co-facilitators of the Progress Declaration. He called them the ¡°bridge-builders¡± who would lead an open, transparent, and inclusive process.
In addition to the President, today¡¯s briefing included Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres; the Director General of IOM, the International Organization on Migration and Coordinator of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Network on Migration, Ant¨®nio Vitorino; the Executive Director of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵICEF Catherine Russel; and the Executive Director of the Mayors Migration Council, Vittoria Zanuso.
BILATERALS
Tomorrow, the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the Inter-Parliamentary Union will hold their annual parliamentary hearing.
The theme will be ¡°building political support and inclusive responses to sustainable recovery¡±.
More than 200 Speakers, Members of Parliament, advisers, and other related officials from around 70 Member States are expected to participate in the two-day event, which for the first time, will be held in the General Assembly Hall.
Ahead of the Parliamentary hearing, President Shahid is today meeting with Mr. Sultan Saeed Abdullah Albarkani, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Yemen.
He will also meet with Denis Zvizdic, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
CIVIL SOCIETY
This afternoon, President Shahid will address the Third Committee of Civil Society.
The event will provide an opportunity for Member States and civil society representatives, in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, to share thoughts on the outcomes of the 76th session of the Third Committee. As well as insights into a specific issue the importance, namely equality in the recovery from COVID-19.
The event is overseen by the Chair of the Third Committee, Mr. Mohamed Siad Doualeh.
It is in line with the President¡¯s vision to ¡®engage with civil society, businesses, philanthropic organizations, academia, the scientific community and other partners on the key issues under discussion in the General Assembly.¡¯
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CIRCLE OF WOMEN AMBASSADORS
Later this afternoon, the President will meet with the Circle of Women Ambassadors.
We expect at least 20 Ambassadors to take part.
As he is nearly halfway through the Presidency of Hope, Mr. Shahid will today share some of the key accomplishments related to gender equality.
President Shahid will participate alongside Ambassador Thilmeeza Hussain, who is his Special Envoy and Co-Coordinator of the Circle of Women Ambassadors.
And Ambassador Egriselda Lopez, the Permanent Representative of El Salvador who is a co-coordinator of the Circle of Women Ambassadors.
Ambassador Darja Bavdaz Kuret, who is the President¡¯s Senior Advisor on Gender will also take part.
QUESTIONS?
The Spokesperson was asked about President Shahid’s perspective on Ukraine. The Spokesperson answered that the Secretary-General has spoken about Ukraine, and is involved in that situation. The issue is up to Member States. The annual General Assembly discussion on Ukraine will be held on 23 February.
The Spokesperson was asked about the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and why it is not more active. The Spokesperson confirmed by email that the Committee is under the OHCHR umbrella.