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NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS

Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba K?r?si
United Nations Headquarters, New York

Thursday, 2 February 2023

CHINA

President Csaba K?r?si met today in Beijing with State Councilor Wang Yi.

The President thanked China for its leadership role in the United Nations and its efforts to support people and the planet.

The President raised next month¡¯s Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Water Conference and invited China to participate at a high level.

Among other topics discussed was Security Council reform, the war in Ukraine and its global economic implications, and multilateralism overall.

Also today, President K?r?si visited the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS). This is a center created to support achievement of the SDGs.

At the Center, the President with Dr. Hou Jianguo, the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other senior scientists working on satellite and sustainable development research.

The President was accompanied by Dr. Guo Huadong, Center Director and the leading Chinese scientist working on the SDGs.

The President said he was very impressed by what he had seen and the contribution that the Center is making towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

SCIENCE BRIEFING

Some more information about next week¡¯s science briefing to Member States.

President Csaba K?r?si will convene on Tuesday, an all-day event with scientists and academics from different parts of the world, who will brief the General Assembly in an informal meeting.

This is part of the President¡¯s priorities to inject science into the work of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.

There will be three panels, each one 90 minutes long. The topics are Economics of Water; Climate, Conflict and Cooperation; and Early Warning for Pandemic Preparedness.

Then there will be a briefing by some of the Independent Group of Scientists appointed by the Secretary-General, on the Global Sustainable Development Report 2023. This is an early look at some of the findings in the report that will be launched this fall.

The entire event will be webcast.

And you have more details in a media advisory from this morning.

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DATES

And just wanted to clarify in this room, yesterday I confused you with the dates for the 78^th session of the General Assembly. It will begin on Tuesday, 5 September. And the General Debate will begin two weeks later, on Tuesday, 19 September.

 

QUESTIONS

The Spokesperson was asked whether the President had raised human rights violations against Uyghurs. The Spokesperson said that no, the President was in China to raise issues of sustainable development and science, and to bring that knowledge back to the General Assembly.

The Spokesperson was asked for more details about what was said in the bilateral with State Councilor Wang Yi about the war in Ukraine and Security Council reform. The Spokesperson said she would see if any additional details were available.

On the issue of a possible General Assembly meeting related to Ukraine later this month, the Spokesperson said that she did not have anything to announce. There has not been a request for an Emergency Special Session.