Opening of the Human Rights Council and other topics

Noon briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights
-Noon Briefing Guest
-Secretary-General’s Travels
-Ethiopia
-Mauritania
-Haiti
-Sudan
-Peace Operations
-Human Rights
-Food and Agriculture Organization
-Press Briefings

**Noon Briefing Guest
Good afternoon, everyone.  In a short while, I will be joined by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the 2019 Climate Summit, Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba.  He will brief you on the forthcoming Climate Meeting to be held in Abu Dhabi from 30 June to 1 July.  Before we get to him, I will read out a bit from the rest of the system.
**Secretary-General’s Travels
First of all, the Secretary-General is on his way back to New York from Lisbon, Portugal, where he spoke at the World Conference for Ministers Responsible for Youth that took place there yesterday.
He told the young participants that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Agreement, agreed four years ago by all Member States, offer a way to address the serious global challenges we face.  But he added that it is clear that without the impatience, the drive, the creativity and the innovation of today’s young people, we will not succeed.
From climate action to plastic pollution, from the clean energy revolution to gender equality, the young generation is stepping up to the challenge, he said.
The Secretary-General said that next year will mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations.  Global cooperation needs rejuvenation to better tackle the threats to the future, he said, adding that he wants to hear from the youth about how they would like to see the UN improve.  His remarks are available online.
Full Highlights: