Mr. Seth welcomed all delegates. He talked about working for peace and prosperity. Working towards consensus, durability and sustainability often depends on the diversity of people around you, Mr. Seth said. He discussed his previous experience and knowledge in the General Assembly and advised delegates to accommodate other points of view. As the United Nations is now back in-person, Mr. Seth was happy to see everyone via VTC filling the conference room. Mr. Seth spoke about the importance of education and UNITAR’s commitment to providing it to everyone across the world. Mr. Seth then gave the floor to H.E. Mr. Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Singapore to the United Nations.

H.E. Mr. Csaba Kőrösi, President-elect of the 77th Session of the General Assembly, welcomed all and talked about the importance of following protocol, rules and procedures by the book and making the most use of technical services. He advised delegates to let inspiration drive them. Mr. Kőrösi mentioned his team’s determination to tackle issues related to climate change and to implement Agenda 2030. 

Mr. Kenji Nakano, Chief, General Assembly Affairs Branch, gave a brief overview of the 77th session of the General Assembly where he discussed in detail the rules of procedures of the General Assembly, and where to find the agenda items. He went through the opening session in detail: how it’s organized, what kind of agenda items are discussed, and when the high-level week takes place. Mr. Nakano went through other meetings mandated by the General Assembly and talked about terminologies used and when to use them. Q&A session took place towards the end of the session.

Ms. Beatrix Kania, Director, Chief of Protocol, briefly discussed access management and talked about bilateral meetings, and described meeting booths in the General Assembly. She discussed the principles that should guide the delegates in determining the order of precedence and simple order of precedence amongst the UN organizations. Closing remarks by Mr. Suazo, concluded today’s session, thanked all those who attended, and was looking forward to the afternoon session.

Multiple speakers then took floor in session II discussing the work of the Second Committee and the Relationship of the ECOSOC to the GA. H.E. Ms. Lachezara Stoeva, Incoming Chair of the Second Committee and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United Nations, took the floor discussing the Committee’s working methods to achieve its goals along with making a clear link between drafting resolutions and content and the implementation of the Agenda 2030.

Ms. Marion Barthelemy, Director Chief of Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. She discussed the Committee’s methods of work. Ms. Emer Herity, Secretary of ECOSOC, ECOSOC Affairs Branch, General Assembly and ECOSOC Affairs Division Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, discussed organizational and procedural matters. She briefly explained the programme of work and phases of the Second Committee of the GA. She also explained how to use the e-deleGATE platform and ended the session with a Q&A with the new delegates. 

H.E. Mr. Philippe Kridelka, Incoming Chair of the Fifth Committee and Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations, highlighted the importance of ensuring productive negotiations and better outcomes through hybrid meetings as a beginning.

The second session ended with Mr Arnold Pronto, Principal Legal Officer from the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs, who mainly explained the various topics which the Sixth Committee focuses on including terrorism, crimes committed by peacekeepers and diplomatic protection to name a few. He also emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the e-deleGATE online platform to consult relevant resources.

The third session continued with Ms. Blanca Montejo, Senior Political Affairs Officer in the Security Council Practices and Charter Research Branch of the Security Council Affairs Division (SCAD) who explained the differences between the General Assembly and the Security Council and also the areas on which both collaborate with each other. Those areas include peace and security issues, appointments and elections, annual notifications and special reports, working methods and peace-building.

Ms. Micaela Becquart, Interpreter in the Spanish Section from the Interpretation Service at the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management and Ms. Lana Ayyad, Chief of Arabic Interpretation Section, have both shared document and statement related tips to ensure accurate interpretation during conferences. They have also reviewed the microphone, surrounding and camera requirements with the delegates.