NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS
Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba K?r?si
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Wednesday, 10 May 2023
SUDAN
President Csaba K?r?si today called for restraint and political will to resolve the crisis in Sudan.
He is also calling for unrestricted humanitarian access.
The call came after a meeting with the Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Ms. Hanna Tetteh.
The bilateral meeting focused on regional security situation, mediation efforts and regional implications.
Related tweet:
HEALTH
Yesterday, President addressed you at the press stakeout, on the second day of the multistakholder hearings in preparation for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵGA High-level meetings related to health that will be held in September.
The President was joined by the six co-facilitators for health-related negotiation processes on ending TB; pandemic preparedness, response and recovery; and universal health access.
The six Ambassadors who are leading those negotiations are Permanent Representatives Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Suriya Chindawongse, Krzysztof Szczerski, Bakhtiyor Ibragimov, Omar Hilale and Gilad Erdan.
You heard the President say that quote ¡°We are very strongly relying on the conviction of the Member States and other stakeholders that when health is at risk, everything is at risk.
We are deeply convinced that health is not and cannot be a luxury, but a fundamental human right.
We are also deeply convinced that providing health is not a money pit, but an investment in sustainable development.¡±
The President noted that these are three major human-centred processes.
He urged all stakeholders to be on board ¨C calling for commitments.
And stressed that tackling health-related crises is not purely a health-issue. Quote ¡°It¡¯s an issue for policymaking. Issue for financing. Issue for scientific progress. Issue for technological advancement. Issue of how we build trust among ourselves and how to rebuild networks of our cooperation.
The President also used the opportunity of the stakeout to thank the World Health Organization¡¯s support in organizing¡¯s this week¡¯s hearing and the general providing assistance for the negotiating processes for the General Assembly.
The transcript of the remarks and Q&A that followed: /pga/77/2023/05/09/press-stakeout-by-the-president-and-the-six-co-facilitators-for-health-related-processes/
BILATERALS
As a follow up to those hearings, the President is meeting today with the Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
He will also have bilaterals with Ambasdaor Valentin Rybakov, the Permanent Representative of Belarus to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.
He will also be meeting with Ambassador Gerardo Pe?alver Portal, the new Permanent Representative of Cuba.
The President will also meet with Ambassador Tiemoko Moriko the new Permanent Representative of the Republic of C?te d’Ivoire to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.
ARGANIA
Among the President¡¯s other activities, he will visit the exhibit on Argania. A special event for the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to celebrate the International Day is held today. You heard about the Day from Farhan.
MIDDLE INCOME COÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵTRIES
Tomorrow will be the high-level meeting on Middle Income Countries, starting at 10AM ET in the Trusteeship: /pga/77/high-level-meeting-on-middle-income-countries/
CAMPAIGN
And we wanted to highlight additional Member States who have signed on to the President¡¯s campaign to support gender equality.
Staff at these Permanent Missions of Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Luxembourg and Malta have pledged to complete the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ training on promoting gender equality and preventing sexual harassment.
QUESTIONS
The Spokesperson was asked why the President of the General Assembly didn¡¯t issue a statement on the attacks in Gaza, even though he spoke out against Sudan. The Spokesperson said that President K?r?si follows closely the developments in the Middle East and, as a general practice, does not put out a statement for each incident. The President is aligned with the Secretary-General and Tor Wennesland.
The Spokesperson was asked by the President of the General Assembly will not be attending Monday¡¯s commemoration of the Nakba. The Spokesperson said that the President had had a long-standing prior commitment and will be sending a pre-recorded video message.
The Spokesperson was asked whether the theme of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵGA 2023 is related to the SDGs. The Spokesperson said that the incoming PGA selects the theme for the general debate, and reminded that the election will be on 1 June.