PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,
SPOKESPERSON FORGENERAL ASSEMBLY
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
5 June 2024
Good afternoon, everyone!
GA HOLDS DEBATE ON CRIME PREVENTION, DEVELOPMENT AND SPORTS
The General Assembly is holding today a High-Level Debate on Crime Prevention and Sustainable Development through Sports. The President of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, spoke at the opening segment, this morning, in the GA Hall. The PGA stressed that sports promote health and well-being, the Sustainable Development Goals, healthy competition, and encourage youth to stay away from the path of crime. He praised the joint UNODC and International Olympic Committee (IOC) initiative – “Sport against Crime: Outreach, Resilience, Empowerment (SCORE)” to integrate sports into youth crime prevention initiatives. President Francis also highlighted that “threats to sport come in many forms – from competition manipulation, illegal betting, and corruption to transnational organized crime linked to sport competitions, athlete transfers, and sport administration.” He believes that such issues demonstrate the need “to strengthen legal frameworks, enhance research and understanding of evolving threats, and build capacity.” Other speakers were representatives of DESA, UNODC, the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), and the International Olympic Committee Executive Board among others. The meeting is co-organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). This afternoon, the PGA will deliver remarks at a side event on the margins of the High-Level Debate.
GA TO HOLD ELECTIONS FOR SECURITY COUNCIL AND PGA 79
Tomorrow, 6 June, the General Assembly will hold two elections. In the morning, there will be the elections for the five non-permanent members of the Security Council, biennium 2025-2026. There are five seats available for five candidates from the African Group, the Asia-Pacific Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group and the Western European and Others Group. The election will start at 10 a.m. at the GA Hall and some Member States’ representatives are planning to deliver remarks after the vote. In the afternoon, Member States will return to the GA Hall to elect the President of the General Assembly for the 79th Session. The candidate for PGA 79 is the former Prime Minister of Cameroon, H.E., Mr. Philemon Yang. The election for the next PGA will take place at 3 p.m. We thank our colleagues from UNTV, MALU and UN Webcast for co-organizing the stakeout for both elections. You are welcome to go to the stakeout area and ask questions.
IN VIDEO MESSAGE, PGA ASKS FOR UNITY IN PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT
PGA Dennis Francis recorded a video message to mark World Environment Day which is being celebrated this year, in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In his message, the President of the General Assembly recalled that sustainability remains a top priority for his term. He asked Member States and stakeholders to unite in efforts to preserve the environment. The chosen theme for this year is “land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience”. Mr. Francis believes that the day offers also “the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to incorporate a sustainability dimension in all our endeavors to protect our planet.” According to the UN, there are 12 million hectares of land lost to degradation which affects food security, water supplies and risks significant economic losses. The PGA stressed that “halting desertification, and building drought resilience are pivotal to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”. For the entire message, please go to the PGA’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@UNPGA78
PRESIDENT FRANCIS TO SPEAK AT FOREIGN PRESS CORRESPONDENTS
This afternoon at 5 p.m., President Dennis Francis will be received by the Foreign Press Correspondents USA to meet journalists from around the globe. He will speak about Peace and Security, Sustainability and the Role of Multilateralism in the UN Agenda. This will be followed by a reception for members of the media. If you follow the PGA on his X social media account, you must have noticed that yesterday, he congratulated the President-elect of Mexico, H.E., Ms. Claudia Sheinbaum, on her victory at the elections on Sunday, as well as the President-elect of Iceland, H.E., Ms. Halla Tómasdóttir, after she won the election also on Sunday. So congratulations again to these newly elected female leaders and to the peoples of Mexico and Iceland.
This is everything we have for today. Do you have anything else?
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YouTube:
www.youtube.com/@UNPGA78
Twitter (X):
@UN_PGA
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/unpga
LinkedIn:
https://lnkd.in/eBPsvcsU
