SG Selection Process and Veto initiative and other topics – PGA Spokesperson Briefing

All right. Hello, everyone. Good afternoon. I just wanted to share with you some brief updates from the Office of the President of the General Assembly. looking ahead for the rest of this week and activities that will be taking place next week as well. This morning, you may have seen that the GA held its annual debate on the agenda item on the use of the veto. We have shared the PGA's as delivered remarks with you. This is the 4th debate that has taken place on this agenda item since the adoption of the veto initiative resolution in 2022. So it's not a debate as a result of a veto having been cast in the UN Security Council. It is just the annual agenda item on this issue, and the GA will not consider or adopt any draft resolutions at this meeting. For tomorrow, something that may be of interest to you, Undersecretary General Guy Ryder will hold an informal briefing with member states to present the UN80 action plan. That will take place from 3 PM to 6 PM in Trusteeship Council, and you can see the 84-page plan online under United to Deliver, the UN80 Initiative Action Plan, if you would like to take a look at that, and the meeting will be webcast. Turning to next week and activities taking place in the GA, on Monday, 24 November and Tuesday, 25th November, the high-level meeting on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons will be held in the GA Hall. The meeting will consist of plenary meetings, and there will also be two interactive discussions. The interactive panel discussions, one will focus on ongoing challenges, including the link between trafficking in persons and organized crime, And the second panel discussion will focus on emerging issues in this area, such as the use of emerging technologies and trafficking for forced criminality. This marks the 15th anniversary of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which was adopted in 2010. And this appraisal takes place every four years. So this will be used as a platform for world leaders and stakeholders to assess the progress that has been made and also to provide an opportunity to identify gaps and renew commitments to eradicate this grave violation. On Tuesday, a couple of other events happening on Tuesday, 25 November. The PGA will deliver remarks at an event to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, which will be held in ECOSOC Chamber from 10 AM to 1 PM, and the meeting will be webcast. Also on Tuesday, the 25th of November, the PGA will deliver remarks at a UN Women event for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day launches the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, which runs from 25 November through Human Rights Day on December 10th. And this year's theme is Unite to End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls. The event will start at 11 AM and it will be held in the Trusteeship Council and it will also be webcast. And then the rest of the week, we move into the holiday here in the United States of Thanksgiving. And so Monday and Tuesday quite full. And then the rest of the week, it's a bit quieter. So those are the updates for me. If there are any questions, academic or otherwise. Yes, Desi.

Yeah, it's more of an academic question, I think. Today in the GA Hall, member states discussed the use of veto. In PJA's opinion, is the veto power of the P5 of Security Council a way to maintain great power consensus and efficiency of international action? Or do you think it's a fundamental departure from the principle of sovereign equality that's enshrined by the UN Charter?

I think in the remarks that we circulated, the PGA made very clear that the inaction or the use of the veto in the Security Council means that real people who are watching in real time may question the credibility and legitimacy of this organization. So of the Security Council, the UN in its entirety. And that's why we have the veto initiative, because member states realize that when there is deadlock in the Security Council, it means that Real people suffer real consequences. And so you have the veto power, but with that power comes great responsibility, and it cannot be used to block action to bring relief to people who are suffering. So that is her position and why she believes that the veto initiative is a way to enforce transparency and accountability, because if you use it, then you are then asked to explain why you used it. And this is also why we see the General Assembly increasingly taking up issues and trying to gain movement on them, as we saw with the two-state solution, the New York Declaration, and other areas. Pamela.

Following up on that, there have been a lot of plans to expand the Security Council, dozens, and it's been a while since any of those have moved forward. Does the PGA support any particular plan on expanding the Security Council?

The PGA has not expressed any support for any particular plan or proposal. What she does believe should happen is that there should be a discussion and a debate on reforming the Security Council. She has expressed repeatedly that, for example, not having any state from Africa be part of the permanent members, obviously the non-permanent, the elected members, countries in different regions are represented, but this is and historical injustice and that it is not representative of the world in which we currently live. So she has not expressed any backing for any particular plan, but she has made clear that this organization was founded 80 years ago in a very different time and that there does need to be reform to bring it into line with 21st century realities.

Thank you. Hi, Evelyn Leopold. Has the PGA said anything about this vote by consensus? It seems to me that when the Assembly votes by consensus, it's the lowest absolute possible denominator it can bring forth, as compared to letting individual countries vote yes, no, whatever.

She has not expressed any particular feelings about the vote by consensus, but I do think that she feels that we find ourselves sometimes in challenging times, and it is sometimes difficult to get 193 states to all agree on one thing, and so that we have to move forward as best we can. So if things are adopted by consensus, that this is a way to move forward. If it can move things forward, then we have to deal with the world as it is, not always as we wish it would be. And so while it may be seen as maybe not the most concrete way to move things forward, if it does help in our work and to find some common ground, then that is better than not. Alexi.

Thanks, Lanise. Do you have any updates on the letter on the election of the next Secretary General?

No updates that I have that I could share otherwise, but thus far, no indications of when that will arrive. As you know, the resolution states that it has to be in the final quarter. of this year, so I would expect that we will have something in the coming weeks and that it will be sooner rather than later. But yes, it is working its way through the processes now. A follow-up question, perhaps.

Yes. Thank you, Denise. I'm from Vita Power. During the debate this morning, a lot of countries have voiced support to limit the veto power, because the Security Council has failed to act decisively on crisis this year. So does the PJA has any plan to adopt a resolution to limit the veto power in future? Thank you.

Yes. So that would absolutely be up to member states to bring forward such a resolution. And obviously, There are processes for changing the way the Security Council works, and it would also require the agreement of the countries that currently have the veto. So you can see where we might encounter difficulties in that way. But the PGA is committed to transparency. She's committed to open discussion of these issues. And so if there were member states who were able to bring forward a resolution to address this issue, But, you know, Security Council reform has to be done with the Security Council. It is not just within the remit of the General Assembly to bring forward such a resolution. Thanks so much. Any additional questions? I don’t see any from online. All right. Thank you all so much. The spokesperson for the SG will be in shortly. Thank you.