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\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n PRESS BRIEFING <\/strong><\/p>\n BY MONICA GRAYLEY,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n SPOKESPERSON FOR\u00a0GENERAL ASSEMBLY\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS<\/strong><\/p>\n United Nations Headquarters, New York<\/strong><\/p>\n 18 December 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n Video:<\/strong> https:\/\/tinyurl.com\/ymkpxm23<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Good afternoon, everyone.<\/p>\n Congratulations, once again, on your very successful Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCA annual event on Friday!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n GA TO PAY TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF THE AMIR OF KUWAIT<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, will convene a plenary meeting of the GA to pay tribute to the memory of the late Amir of the State of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, whose death was announced on Saturday.<\/p>\n The plenary meeting will be held on Wednesday, 20 December, at 10 a.m. in the General Assembly Hall.<\/p>\n The PGA said that His Highness was a distinguished leader and statesman whose contributions to peace, development and cooperation constitute a legacy far beyond the Gulf Region.<\/p>\n This morning, President Francis led a minute of silence in honour of the late Amir of Kuwait, during an informal briefing to Member States on the situation in Haiti, which took place in the ECOSOC chamber.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n PRESIDENT FRANCIS HOLDS INFORMAL BRIEFING ON HAITI<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The PGA spoke, this morning, on his official visit to Haiti, which he undertook last month (from 20-21 November).<\/p>\n President Francis highlighted the coordinated action among the General Assembly, the Security Council and the ECOSOC this month, when all three Presidents of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ bodies come from Latin American and Caribbean countries.<\/p>\n During his visit to Haiti, the PGA delivered a message of solidarity and sought to cast a spotlight on the the political, security and humanitarian crises gripping the country, in order to spur action.<\/p>\n He also encouraged stakeholders in their commitment to national dialogue, paving the way to elections and the establishment of democratic institutions and the rule of law.<\/p>\n President Francis noted that the lack of security and the terror of gangs clearly impact every aspect of life in Haiti. He stressed that violence has robbed the Haitian people of their freedom and rights and is stifling the country\u2019s development.<\/p>\n The PGA stressed that women and girls are subjected to brutal sexual violence, living in a cycle of fear and trauma.<\/p>\n He asked for the urgent deployment of the Multinational Security Support Mission authorized by the Security Council on 2 October.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n MIGRANTS MAKE INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO SOCIETIES, PGA SAYS<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The PGA has issued a post on his X social media account to mark this International Migrants Day.<\/p>\n President Francis asked all to honour the invaluable contributions of millions of migrants as workers, students, entrepreneurs, artists, and in countless other roles, enriching societies worldwide. He stressed the need to enable safe, orderly and regular migration which will contribute to prosperity, innovation and sustainable development, fostering a better tomorrow for all.<\/p>\n SIX CANDIDATES SELECTED TO PGA FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMME<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The OPGA announced the selection of six candidates as Fellows who will join the Programme during the current session. They are: Ms. Brenda Pumarol (Dominican Republic) Ms. Maria David Collins (Kiribati) Mr. Sokniranh Phetrasy (Lao People\u2019s Democratic Republic) Ms. Florencia Mtingwi (Malawi) Mr. Lado Lobor Lado (South Sudan) and Ms. Andrea Toweka (Zimbabwe)<\/p>\n Following the call for nominations, the PGA\u2019s Office received 37 applications from Member States. 68 per cent of the applications were female candidates.<\/p>\n More information on the PGA\u2019s website: www.un.org\/pga\/78<\/a><\/p>\n The Programme will commence early in 2024.<\/p>\n PGA PARTICIPATES IN CELEBRATION OF ARABIC LANGUAGE DAY<\/strong><\/p>\n President Francis delivered remarks this morning on the Arabic Language Day, which is commemorated today. For the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, Arabic, which is spoken daily by more than 400 million people, is considered a pillar of humanity\u2019s cultural diversity.<\/p>\n In his remarks, the PGA highlighted the rich array of contributions across various disciplines that attests to the depth and breadth of Arabic influence.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom attaining recognition as one of the six Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ official languages in 1973 \u2013 a 50th<\/sup> anniversary we commemorated this year \u2013 it is without doubt that Arabic has continuously evolved and expanded. This perpetual dynamism is what adds to the intrinsic beauty of languages.\u201d<\/p>\n So, Shukran (thank you), to all of you!<\/p>\n This is everything we have for you today.<\/p>\n Do you have anything else here or on the screen?<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n END.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n YouTube:<\/strong><\/p>\n www.youtube.com\/@Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵPGA78<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Twitter (X)<\/strong><\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ_PGA\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Instagram:<\/strong><\/p>\n