Solutions for a Sustainable Future through Enhanced Global Cooperation:
A Q&A with the President of the General Assembly
The Townhall with the President of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Csaba K?r?si, is co-organized by the Department of Global Communications, Civil Society Unit, the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Tuesday, 27 June 2023
11 A.M. - 1 P.M. EDT
ECOSOC Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York
The event will be streamed live on
and
The President of the General Assembly will convene his third Town Hall meeting on 27 June 2023 as part of his ongoing efforts to encourage civil society’s participation and valuable contribution to key issues on the agenda of the General Assembly. While Member States remain the ultimate decision-makers within the United Nations, it is crucial for stakeholders to embrace their role as decision-shapers. The third Town Hall will be presented as a Q&A with civil society and will focus on how the upcoming SDG Summit (September 2023) and the Summit of the Future (September 2024) can contribute to sustainability transformation and more effective global cooperation that can tackle today’s challenges as well as new threats in the future.
In his “Our Common Agenda” report, the Secretary-General called for an inclusive, networked, and effective multilateralism to better respond to the needs of the people and planet. This approach aims to get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track by turbocharging their implementation and addressing gaps in global governance arrangements. As our world faces a set of complex and interlocking crises, resulting in a new chapter of the history of humankind, we have a great responsibility to strengthen the multilateral system.
Building on the SDG Summit, the Summit of the Future in 2024 will be a key opportunity to reaffirm shared principles and advance practical solutions. As Member States embark on consultations on the scope and topics of the Summit of the Future, hearing questions and ideas from civil society will be important to inform those discussions.
The Town Hall will serve as an opportunity for civil society to ask questions and to engage with the President of the General Assembly on issues including, but not limited to:
- How can we strengthen the international community’s response to complex global shocks?
- How can we deliver on our responsibilities to future generations yet to be born? How can youth engagement contribute to the discussion?
- How can the international community address the challenges and opportunities posed by rapid technological development, in particular in the area of AI, and ensure a just digital transition?
- How can the international community go beyond GDP as the primary measure of development and progress toward SDGs?
- What are the most important challenges to be addressed by the Summit of the Future? What role do you see for the Summit of the Future in the implementation of sustainability transformation at all levels?
Programme
Moderator
Maher Nasser
Maher Nasser has over 35 years of work experience in the United Nations System during which he has worked in Gaza, Jerusalem, Amman, Vienna, Cairo, Dubai and New York. He is currently the Director of Outreach in the United Nations Department of Global Communications. In his current position, he leads the Department’s engagement with civil society, academia, sports / football and the creative community, including the advertising industry. Subsequent to his designation February 2019, by the United Nations Secretary-General, he served as Commissioner-General for United Nations at Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
H.E. Mr. Csaba K?r?si
As a career diplomat, I have spent my entire professional life in public service, combining national duties with assignments received from various international communities. I had the privilege to serve as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations and as Head of Mission to Greece and the United Arab Emirates. In various government service posts for my home country, I was responsible for security policy, multilateral diplomacy and human rights cooperation.
During my tenure in New York, I was honoured to be a co-chair of the intergovernmental process (Open Working Group of the General Assembly on Sustainable Development Goals) tasked with producing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals at its heart. I am grateful for the experience gained as Vice-President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. As Director (State Secretary) of the Office of the President of Hungary, I had the duty and privilege to work alongside the President of the Republic in discharging his functions as a member of the High-level Panel on Water, co-convened by the Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank Group. I performed a similar role in the framework of the Water and Climate Leaders panel, co-convened by the Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization and the President of UN-Water. I am a founding member of the Hungarian Scientific Panel on Climate Change and a permanent invitee to the Presidential Committee on Sustainable Development at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the National Council on Sustainable Development at the Hungarian National Assembly.