PRESS BRIEFING
BY MONICA GRAYLEY,?
SPOKESPERSON FOR?GENERAL ASSEMBLY?
PRESIDENT DENNIS FRANCIS
United Nations Headquarters, New York
18 April 2024
?
GENERAL ASSEMBLY SUSTAINABILITY WEEK FOCUSES ON INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECTIVITY
On this Day Four of Sustainability Week, the General Assembly is holding an Informal Dialogue on Building Resilience and Promoting Sustainable Development through Infrastructure Connectivity.
The opening segment heard statements by the President of Poland, H.E. Mr. Andrzej Duda and Mr. Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, DESA.
In his opening remarks, President Dennis Francis highlighted the role of infrastructure as ¡°one of the key sectors of the economy where the concepts of resilience and sustainability are deeply interwoven¡±.
The PGA said that ¡°quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure is important to sustain trade and commerce, facilitate effective transportation, connect us to virtual grids, maintain energy flows, and make populations safer against natural hazards.¡±
Mr. Francis spoke about the need to tackle infrastructure gaps which exacerbate global inequalities, especially for low and middle-income countries and Small Island Developing States among others. In some cases, the annual cost of damage can represent 10 percent of a country¡¯s GDP.
Today, Sustainability Week is holding two Multistakeholder Panels.
The second panel starts at 3 p.m. at the GA Hall and will be moderated by the Head of the Liaison Office for the International Telecommunications Union, Ms. Ursula Wynhoven, with inputs from panelists including Mr. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOPS, and Ms. Namita Vikas, Founder and Managing Partner, Auctus, ESG.
The PGA will be back at the GA Hall at 5 p.m. to follow discussions and deliver closing remarks.
More information on the PGA¡¯s website .
PRESIDENT FRANCIS MET STUDENTS FOR #ASKPGA LIVE SESSION
The PGA met with young people and university students yesterday at two separate sessions here at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ. In the morning, President Dennis Francis received a group of 30 students and some professors from the Harvard Center for International Development.
The PGA spoke about the international role of the General Assembly, he also answered questions from the audience about ¡°how to keep hope up amidst increasing global challenges¡±.
In the afternoon, Mr. Francis chaired a live session of his #ASKPGA initiative with young people in partnership with the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Youth Office and the Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs, Mr. Felipe Paullier, on the sidelines of the ECOSOC Youth Forum.
Mr. Francis also received at his office the President of Poland, H.E. Mr. Andrzej Duda, and in a separate meeting, the Vice President of Bolivia, H.E. David Choquehuanca C¨¦spedes, and the country¡¯s Foreign Minister, H.E. Ms. Celinda Sosa Lunda. They spoke about the crucial need of including and executing sustainability policies across local, regional and international levels.
FINAL DAY OF SUSTAINABILITY WEEK TO FOCUS ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR ALL
Tomorrow, on the last day of Sustainability Week, the PGA will convene a Global stocktaking marking the completion of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Decade of Sustainable Energy for All to further accelerate the implementation of SDG 7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The event will include two thematic debates, one in the morning, and another one in the afternoon.
The Minister of Energy for the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr. Parviz Shakhbazov, will take part in the first debate.
The second will be attended by the Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy, H.E. Mr. Dan J?rgensen of Denmark.
PGA TO HOLD A PRESS STAKEOUT ON FRIDAY AT 4.30 P.M. TO CONCLUDE SUSTAINABILITY WEEK
Following the launch of a Call for Action for Sustainability, President Dennis Francis will speak to the press at a stakeout in front of the General Assembly Hall, around 4.30 pm tomorrow, Friday, 19 April.
You are all invited to attend and ask questions directly to the PGA.
The stakeout will also be webcast by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Web TV and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ TV.
This is everything we have for today. Do you have any questions of anything else?
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