Trip announcement, briefing on GA priorities,…

• President Francis to undertake official visits to Africa and Asia.  
• PGA delivers briefing on priorities for the General Assembly.
• GA to decide on high-level plenary on threats by sea-level rise.
• Meetings rescheduled for February.
• Welcoming a new colleague to the team.

PRESIDENT FRANCIS TO UNDERTAKE OFFICIAL VISITS TO AFRICA AND ASIA 

The President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis, will pay an official visit to Kampala, Uganda from 17 to 21 January 2024 to attend the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, held under the theme Deepening Cooperation for Shared Global Affluence, and the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China on 21 January, which is convened under the theme Leaving No One Behind.  

The PGA will highlight that at a time of unprecedented crises, the combined voice of the Global South is needed much more.  

While in Kampala, the PGA will pay a courtesy call on His Excellency, Mr. Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda as host and incoming Chair of both groups. Among others, the PGA will also hold bilateral meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, His Excellency General Jeje Odongo, and the UN Country Team and the Resident Coordinator for Uganda, Ms. Susan Namondo. 

President Francis looks forward to using this opportunity to address a range of pressing global issues, including calling for meaningful action on climate change, sustainable development, global peace and security, and human rights. 

The PGA's visit to the Republic of Uganda is therefore part of a broader effort to underscore the UN's commitment to promoting inclusive dialogue among its North and South membership in confronting global challenges, thus ensuring a more prosperous and harmonious world. 

President Francis will be accompanied by his Chef de Cabinet, his Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, a Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Senior Adviser, as well as a Communications Adviser.  

From Uganda, the PGA and his delegation will proceed with back-to-back official visits to India and China. We will bring you more details on the visits to Asia in due course.  

Travel costs for the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Third South Summit of the Group of 77 and China are covered by the Government of the Republic of Uganda and the OPGA Trust Fund.  

PGA DELIVERS BRIEFING ON PRIORITIES FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY 

This morning, President Francis presided over an informal meeting of the General Assembly where he delivered a briefing on his priorities for the resumed part of the current session.  

In his remarks, the PGA took the opportunity "to both reflect on the progress to date and the associated challenges – with a view to casting our renewed vision towards a future world that is more peaceful, prosperous, progressive, and a sustainable place for all. 

President Francis said the Member States "must not ignore and overlook the challenges and setbacks, including the dire consequences of escalating violence in the Gaza Strip and other affected areas; continued aggression against Ukraine; and violent outbreaks in Sudan; the internal strife in Haiti; and several other situations of concern elsewhere that affect international peace and security.  

In his remarks, President Francis also invited Member States to work together on the Summit of the Future — which will take place later this year—where world leaders are expected to gather in New York to "forge a new global consensus on how to better deliver for people and planet." The PGA firmly believes that the High-Level event "can and must be a unique opportunity to supercharge SDG implementation." 

For the entire speech, you can access the PGA's website www.un.org/pga/78 and if you are on our mailing list, you must have received it by now via e-mail. 

GA TO DECIDE ON HIGH-LEVEL PLENARY ON THREATS BY SEA-LEVEL RISE 

This afternoon, the General Assembly will hold a meeting to take action on the draft decision to hold a High-Level plenary meeting on addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise.  (A/78/L.35). 

Member States will decide whether to host the meeting on 25 September about this topic. The meeting will be on UNTV/UN Webcast starting at 3 pm today. 

MEETINGS RESCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 

And just for your information there will be two changes in our agenda for this week: The informal meeting of the General Committee, which was going to take place today, has been scheduled to 5 February, and the joint briefing by the Presidents of the GA and ECOSOC, which was scheduled for tomorrow morning, will now take place on 2 February. 

Before we leave, I would like to introduce a new colleague on our team, Serena Giglio, who will be working with you all. Welcome again, Serena! 

This is everything we have for today. Do you have anything else?