The Townhall with the President of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly H.E. Mr. Csaba K?r?si is organized with support from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the UN SDG Action Campaign and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
20 April 2023
10 A.M. - 12 P.M. EDT
Conference Room 1, United Nations Headquarters, New York
The event will be streamed live on
As H.E. Csaba K?r?si, President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, has stated, it is critical for the UN to engage with civil society organizations, youth representatives and academia to define transformative solutions for our global challenges.
As the world is in the midst of an unprecedented set of interlocking crises, and we are in the midway point of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it’s worth recalling that no actor has a monopoly over good ideas. While Member States remain the decision-makers of the United Nations, all stakeholders must assume their role as decision-shapers.
As part of his effort and commitment to hear from the civil society and encourage them to bring their contributions regarding key issues under discussion in the General Assembly, the President will convene his second Town Hall meeting with civil society with a focus on the need for accelerated progress towards the achievements of the SDGs by 2030.
The moderated event will consist of an opening statement by the President of the General Assembly followed by three short keynote statements from civil society representatives and an interactive discussion.
The Town Hall is supported by the Department of Global Communications, with additional support by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the UN SDG Action Campaign and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Programme
Moderator
Melissa Fleming
Melissa Fleming is Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.
From 2009 until August 2019, Ms. Fleming served UNHCR as Head of Global Communications and Spokesperson for the High Commissioner. At UNHCR, she led global media outreach campaigns, social media engagement and a multimedia news service to distribute and place stories designed to generate empathy and stir action for refugees.
Ms. Fleming is a frequent interview guest on international media platforms, and her talks are featured on . She is author of the book, , and host of the award-winning podcast, Awake at Night.
Ms. Fleming joined UNHCR from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where she served for eight years as Spokesperson and Head of the Media and Outreach. Prior to IAEA, she headed the Press and Public Information team at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Earlier still, she was Public Affairs Specialist at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich, having started her career as a journalist. From 2016 to 2017, she also served as Senior Adviser and Spokesperson on the incoming United Nations Secretary General’s Transition Team.
Ms. Fleming holds a Master of Science in Journalism from the College of Communication, Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies from Oberlin College.
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.
Civil Society Speakers
Mr. Maina is the Founder of Eco Rafiki Africa an Eco-friendly social enterprise combating plastic pollution by introducing bio-degradable and compostable tableware as an alternative to plastics. He is one of the founding leaders of SDGs Youth Wave, African Youth4Climate and was the Youth4Climate delegate/panelist representing Kenya at PreCop26 in Milan, Italy as well as the official youth delegate/speaker at Conference of Parties (COP25), Conference of Youth (COY16) and Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Bhumika Muchhala is a development economist at the Third World Network. She has 20 years of experience in analysis, advocacy, campaigning and public education on the international financial system, sustainable development, feminist economics, climate justice, colonial histories, and decolonial theory and praxis. Bhumika is actively engaged in policy advocacy and research analysis in the UN intergovernmental negotiations and conferences, the IMF and World Bank and the G20, engaging with governments, international civil society and social movements and academics. She has served as a development economist consultant with various UN agencies, such as OHCHR, UN Women and the UN Secretary General’s office. She has a MSc in development economics from the London School of Economics and is a PhD candidate in political economy at The New School. She is of Indian origin, grew up in Indonesia and is now based in New York.
Cantave Jean-Baptiste?is a Haitian agronomist and rural development practitioner with over 44 years of experience supporting sustainable agriculture as well as promoting and strengthening small farmer’s organizations. After 10 years with Caritas, two years and half with the Mennonite Central Committee coordinating agroforestry and biological agriculture, he spent 14 years as the Haiti Country Representative for World Neighbors. In summer 2009, he participated in founding Groundswell International and initiated Partenariat pour le Developpement Local (PDL) in Haiti where he is playing the role of Executive Director. During his career, Mr. Jean Baptiste contributed in the design and the implementation of a holistic approach to local development valuing local knowledge, assets and resources.