Afghanistan earthquake, torture & other topics…

I will start with a statement on Afghanistan. The President of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, is deeply saddened to learn about the tragic loss of life and injuries caused by the earthquake that struck Afghanistan, particularly the Paktika and Khost provinces in the east.

President Shahid is currently enroute to Kigali, Rwanda. You now have the detailed media advisory on his program. He will then head to Portugal for the Ocean Conference.

Turning to New York… In the Trusteeship today, there is an informal briefing on the report of the Group of Governmental Experts on torture-free trade.

Looking to tomorrow… At 10AM in the General Assembly Hall, there will be formal annual debate on the responsibility to protect and the prevention of genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Also at 10AM, but in the Trusteeship, the General Assembly will convene a pledging conference for UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Today the United Nations marks Public Service Day. The theme is “Building Back Better from COVID: Enhancing innovation partnerships to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.”

And today, we also honor the memory of the 485 United Nations personnel who lost their lives serving the blue flag over the last year.