PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,?
SPOKESPERSON FOR?GENERAL ASSEMBLY?
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
12 October 2023
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Good afternoon, everyone.
PGA REITERATES APPEAL FOR DE-ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST?
The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, reiterates his appeal for an immediate cessation of violence in Israel and in the Gaza Strip.
Mr. Francis expresses his condolences to the families and friends of innocent civilians who lost their lives since the attacks of 7 October against Israel, and in the strikes in Gaza, that followed the assault by Hamas, including the 12 employees of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Palestinian Refugee Agency, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA.
Mr. Francis stresses that the lives of civilians must be protected at all times during conflict. The PGA calls on the parties to halt the fighting and avoid further loss of life.
He says that humanitarian assistance and support need to be facilitated and made available to the civilian population in Gaza.
MR. FRANCIS APPOINTS CO-FACILITATORS AND CO-CHAIRS FOR GA PROCESSES
The GA leader has informed Member States that he decided to appoint the co-facilitators and co-chairs for various intergovernmental processes to be initiated during the current session.? The intergovernmental preparatory process for the Summit of the Future will be facilitated by H.E. Ms. Antje Leendertse, the Permanent Representative of Germany and H.E. Mr. Neville Melvin Gertze, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Namibia.
As part of the preparatory process of the Summit of the Future, on a Global Digital Compact, which would be annexed to the Pact for the Future if so agreed, the facilitators will be – H.E. Ms. Anna Karin Enestr?m, Permanent Representative of Sweden and H.E. Mr. Chola Milambo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Zambia.
As part of the preparatory process of the Summit of the Future, on a Declaration on Future Generations, the PGA appointed H.E. Mr. Brian Christopher Manley Wallace, Permanent Representative of Jamaica – H.E. Ms. Yoka Brandt, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as co-facilitators.
Consultations to review arrangements contained in General Assembly resolutions on the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council and the review of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in order to benefit from lessons learned from relevant processes under the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council related to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, as well as from previous cycles of the high-level political forum on sustainable development will be co-facilitated by H.E. Mr. Paul Goa Zoumanigui, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Guinea and H.E. Ms. Sanita Pav?uta-Deslande, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia.
On the list of Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, the PGA appointed H.E. Mr. Cornel Feru??, Permanent Representative of Romania and H.E. Ms. Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia.
For the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on the Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the Security Council, the PGA appointed H.E. Mr. Alexander Marschik, Permanent Representative of Austria and H.E. Mr. Tareq M. A. M. Albanai, Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait.
The two Co-facilitators to present options and modalities for the conduct of a High-level Meeting in 2024 on Antimicrobial Resistance, including potential deliverables, will be H.E. Mr. Fran?ois Jackman, Permanent Representative of Barbados and H.E. Mrs. Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Malta.
And finally: the two co-Chairs of the Steering Committee on Accessibility, in line with the resolution 73/341, in which the GA has advocated for the improvement of accessibility in the United Nations for persons with disabilities are: H.E. Ms. Markova Concepci¨®n Jaramillo, Permanent Representative of Panama and H.E. Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States of America.
The PGA thanks relevant Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives for accepting this responsibility and looks forward to working with them to fulfill the respective mandates.
More information on our website.
PRESIDENT FRANCIS MET WITH YOUTH DELEGATES ON THE GA WORK
Yesterday, 11 October, the President of the General Assembly held an informal dialogue with Youth Delegates from Permanent Missions to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ to discuss the work of the General Assembly.
In a segment of Questions and Answers with the delegates, Mr. Francis was asked about peace and security, the work of the Security Council and the General Assembly. He reminded delegates that as ¡°young people, they had to be aware that peace is worth fighting for¡±. The President believes that ¡°instead of talking about winning wars, we should speak about winning peace.¡±
For the GA leader, this first meeting was a great opportunity to listen to their concerns and ideas and to further discuss ways to ensure the effective participation of youth in the work of the United Nations.
And if you want to find out more on the PGA¡¯s remarks in the respective GA committees, you can also access the PGA¡¯s YouTube channel on
youtube.com/unpga78
END
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