THE PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

14 July 2017

Excellency,

I refer to my letter dated 26 May 2017 by which I informed Member States about the informal meeting of the General Assembly to observe the annual International Day on 18 July 2017.

Kindly find attached the provisional programme for the informal meeting, which will take place at 10:00 a.m. at the ECOSOC Chamber.

In line with the tradition of dedicating 67 minutes towards public service on the annual Nelson Mandela Day, the UN Department of Public Information and the Office of the President of the General Assembly are partnering with the New York City (NYC) Mayor’s Office and the Randall’s Island Park Alliance to engage UN staff and the diplomatic community in activities on Randall’s Island at 2.00 p.m. related to the causes of environmental justice and reducing poverty.

I encourage Your Excellency or a member of your delegation to participate, thus honoring Nelson Mandela’s legacy and contribution to humanity.

Details regarding transportation and attire are included in the attached background note.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Peter Thomson

All Permanent Representatives Permanent Observers to the United Nations New York

Provisional Programme Informal meeting of the General Assembly in the occasion of the Annual Observance of the Nelson Mandela International Day 18 July 2017, ECOSOC Chamber 10:00a.m.-11:30a.m.

10:00-10:07 Opening Remarks by H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly 10:07-10:14 Statement by H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary- General 10:14-10:21 Keynote address by Mr. Danny Glover, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador 10:21-10:26 Statement by the Director of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Ms Lymph Monyamane 10:32-10:37 Statement by the New York City Commissioner for International Affairs, Ms. Penny Abeywardena 10:37-10:42 Statement by the Minister of Environment of the Republic of South Africa, H.E. Ms Edna Molewa 10:42-11:15 Remarks by the Chairs of the Regional Groups (5 minutes) - Chad : African States - Myanmar : Asia-Pacific States - Russian Federation : Eastern European States - Jamaica : Latin America and Caribbean States - Belgium : Western European States - United States of America : Host Country 11:30 PGA Adjourns the meeting

****END OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY INFORMAL PLENARY MEETING*****

‘67 Minutes of Public Service – to support shorelines and urban farms’ Randall’s Island, 2-5pm

Background note Overview: In recognition of Nelson Mandela’s values and dedication to the service of humanity, in the fields of , race relations, the promotion and protection of human rights, reconciliation, gender equality, the rights of children and other vulnerable groups, as well as the fight against poverty and the promotion of social justice, United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/13 declared 18 July (his birthday) as Nelson Mandela International Day. Every year since 2010, on 18 July, individuals around the world are encouraged to take action and inspire change by devoting time to community service.

The UN Department of Public Information and the Office of the President of the General Assembly are partnering with the NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, NYC Service and the Randall’s Island Park Alliance to engage UN staff and the diplomatic community to support a healthy ocean and urban farming to advance environmental justice and reduce poverty.

Activity Volunteers will help keep New York’s harbor healthy and resilient by cleaning its shorelines of litter and invasive plants, and learn about the importance of urban farming in raising awareness about nutritious food for all communities. The project also gives volunteers the opportunity to give back to the community in New York City, the permanent host of the United Nations Headquarters. Brief remarks by the President of the General Assembly, the Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN, the NYC Commissioner for International Affairs, the NYC Chief Service Officer, the President of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance, and Danny Glover are expected at 2:30 p.m.

Transport: The Office of the President of the General Assembly has arranged transportation to depart from the United Nations at 13:00 p.m. and will return to the UN from Randall Island at 17:00 p.m.

Attire: Kindly wear comfortable clothing for the public service activity.

Social media: follow the hashtags #MandelaDay, #Time2Serve and #NYCxUN.

More information: Nelson Mandela International Day: un.org/en/events/mandeladay NYC Mayor’s Office for International Affairs: nyc.gov/international NYC Service: nyc.gov/service