Bi-Weekly Press Briefing 03 January 2023

PRESS BRIEFING BY THE UNITED NATIONS INFORMATION SERVICE

3 January 2023

Messages

Ms. Vellucci wished happy New Year to all participants and read excerpts of the New Year’s message from the Secretary General: “Ever new year is a moment of rebirth. We sweep out the ashes of the new year… In 2023 we need peace now more than ever… In 2023 let’s put peace at the heart of our words and actions. Together, let’s make 2023 a year when peace is restored to our lives, our homes, and our world.”

Pakistan

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said the International Conference on Climate Resilience in Pakistan would take place next Monday January 9 at the Palais des Nations. The Conference would be co-hosted by the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations, and would bring together governments, leaders from the public and private sector, and civil society, to support the people and government of Pakistan after the devastating floods in 2022.

It had two main objectives:

To present the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework, which laid out a multisectoral strategy for rehabilitation and reconstruction in a climate-resilient and inclusive manner
To secure international support and forge long-term partnerships for building Pakistan’s climate resilience and adaptation.

A curtain raiser briefing with representatives of UNDP and the government of Pakistan would be organised on 5 January at 2:30 pm, with details to be provided soon.

Covid-19

Responding to questions on Covid-19, Tarik Jasarevic, for the World Health Organisation, said the technical advisory group on virus evolution was meeting today. This was a regular meeting of experts who would help WHO assess the risk of evolution of the virus. Chinese colleagues were expected to participate and the meeting would take place around noon, with the advice received to be made public.

ITU New Senior Leadership Team

David Hirsch, for the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), said the new senior leadership team of the ITU took office on 1 January 2023. Doreen Bogdan-Martin became ITU's 12th Secretary-General since it was designated a UN specialized agency in 1947. She was also the first woman to head the organization since its establishment in 1865

Member States elected Bogdan-Martin as Secretary-General in September 2022 at ITU's Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) in Bucharest, Romania. She came to the post from ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, where she had served as director since 2019.

ITU was unique as it had five elected officials: Secretary-General, Deputy Secretary-General, Director of ITU's Radiocommunication Bureau, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau. All five senior officials were elected to four-year terms. ITU noted and appreciated the interest the press corps had in talking to the new ITU Secretary-General and was working with her office to schedule a date.

Complete information on ITU’s new senior leadership team could be found on the ITU website: www.itu.int. Media inquiries could be found at: pressinfo@itu.int

Bi-Weekly Press Briefing 03 January 2023

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