NOON BRIEFING HIGHLIGHTS
Spokesperson for General Assembly President Csaba K?r?si
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Tuesday, 20 June 2023
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WOMEN IN DIPLOMACY
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In the hour, President Csaba K?r?si will participate in a reception for the International Day of Women in Diplomacy.
Yesterday, you would have seen a special event organized to commemorate the first official celebration of Women in Diplomacy here at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Headquarters.
In his remarks, President K?r?si said that today¡¯s event is an? opportunity to relaunch our collective efforts to promote gender equality in decision-making in diplomacy.
Quote ¡°If you want someone, who could be the strongest fighter against enemies, you may wish to appoint a man. If the objective is to find solutions and contribute to the well-being, empirical data shows that women leaders perform better.¡±
In his remarks, President K?r?si spoke about trailblazing women at the signing of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Charter ¨C such as Hansa Mehta from India and Minerva Bernardino from the Dominican Republic.
He also noted that out of the 78 people who have served as Presidents of the General Assembly, only four have been women¡ and only about one of four women are Permanent Representatives.
The President thanked the women PRs for their quote ¡°strong leadership¡± on challenging talks. Here he is referring to the 16 General Assembly negotiation processes, including on Financing for Development, for example, and the Universal Health Coverage.
The President also noted that in his own office, women make up two-thirds of this Office, and there is gender parity among the PGA Youth Fellows.
Speaking of the Fellows, if you followed the event, you would have seen our Fellow Nathalie Gasaro moderating two panels, a fireside chat with Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
The President¡¯s full remarks are online: /pga/77/2023/06/19/women-in-diplomacy/
The panel discussions are on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ WebTV:
The actual Day is on 24 June.
SDG SUMMIT
On this theme, President K?r?si today meets with his Co-facilitators of the SDG Summit Political Declaration. Those include Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar and Fergal Tomas Mythen, Permanent Representative of Ireland.
COÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵTER-TERRORISM WEEK
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Tonight, President K?r?si will participate in the opening of the Omani Exhibition ¡°Tolerance, Understanding and Co-existence: Oman¡¯s Message of Islam¡±.
The exhibit is on the South Wall on the first floor of the Headquarters. That¡¯s the hallway area on the first floor where looks out onto the Peace Bell.
This event is organized on the sidelines of Counter-Terrorism Week
The President spoke yesterday via a pre-recorded message to the Third Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ?High-Level Conference of Heads?of Counter-Terrorism?Agencies of Member States.
He said that terrorist?and extremist?groups continue to?prey on underdevelopment, inequalities and marginalization, thriving in?conflict-related?fragility.?And often spread by online activity.
A multilateral response to the terrorist threat can be the only answer.?Multilateralism?can?work. But it must work?better.
You have the President¡¯s full remarks: /pga/77/2023/06/19/pga-remarks-to-the-third-un-high-level-conference-of-heads-of-counter-terrorism-agencies-of-member-states/
You also have his remarks given yesterday on hate speech, which the President defined as an attack on human dignity and one of the most toxic forms of misinformation, which can lead to hate crimes.
He spoke about the importance of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech¡ .and about the importance of Partnerships ¨C among Governments, regional and multilateral organizations, the private sector, the media, academia, faith leaders, and other civil society actors.
You have the remarks at /pga/77/2023/06/19/pga-remarks-at-high-level-event-in-observance-of-the-international-day-for-countering-hate-speech/
BBNJ
Shifting gears.
You know that the Treaty of the High Seas was?adopted by consensus yesterday.
The adoption of this Treaty, also known as ¡°BBNJ¡±, which stands for Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction), is a landmark achievement, the President said.
He noted that it lays the foundation for a better stewardship of our seas, ensuring their survival for generations to come.
The President also praised the agreement for its power of multilateralism.
The President also praised the work of Ambassador Rena Lee of Singapore, who as the President of the Intergovernmental Conference ¡°captained our ship through this historic voyage.¡±
WORLD REFUGEE DAY
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Today is World Refugee Day.
In his message for the Day, President K?r?si? calls on the international community to find lasting solutions for refugees and to help them find hope away from home.
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BILATERALS
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Among his bilaterals today, President K?r?si will meet this afternoon with the Foreign Minister of Maldives, Mr. Abdulla Shahid.
YOGA DAY
Tomorrow is International Day of Yoga.
President K?r?si will participate in the event, he will be with Prime Minister Modi at the opening.
The President met with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to India in January.
And as I mentioned last week, the President said he is not a yogi, so don¡¯t expect him to contort too much.
QUESTIONS
The Spokesperson was asked whether the President wants the next Secretary-General to be a woman. That is the decision of Member States. President K?r?si has always been supportive of a woman Secretary-General.
The Spokesperson was asked when and where the yoga event will take place. The Spokesperson said on the North Lawn of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵHQ, and that the event will start at 8AM, with people expected to get there early.
Off camera, the Spokesperson was asked about press coverage of the event: Please note?the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations has informed that all media are kindly requested to?stay within?a designated area located on Visitor’s Plaza behind North Lawn. First come first serve, space permitting.? Media can request event video footage by contacting Mr. Pradeep Galhotra at pradeepgalhotra2014@gmail.com Event will also be live on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ WebTV () and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵTV feeds. ?
The Spokesperson was asked about Italian prosecutors finding a birth certificate of two mothers illegitimate. The Spokesperson said that while respecting national laws and national legal systems of a Member State, the President has never spoken out against same-sex couples having children.??? ?