The President today gave his concluding statement at the last plenary meeting of the 55th session of the General Assembly. In his statement Mr. Holkeri summed up his Presidency and touched upon many of the issues that have been high on his agenda throughout the year. The follow-up process to the Millennium Summit, civil society partnerships and the ongoing GA revitalization process were among those issues. The full statement is available on the "Statements and Messages" page.

Earlier today Mr. Holkeri addressed the 54th Annual DPI/NGO Conference. In his statement he noted that United Nations must ensure that civil society has a sense of ownership in the Millennium follow-up process and he suggested that civil society would be given a platform to express their views of the Millennium follow-up report. The full text of his statement is available on the "Statements and Messages" page.

After concluding the 55th session, Mr. Holkeri held a press conference to representatives of the media, followed by a meeting with Finnish journalists.

The President attended a prayer service on the occasion of the opening of the 56th General Assembly.

Later in the day the President and Mrs. Holkeri attended a farewell party for his Office, hosted by H.E. Mr. Jukka Leino, Consul General of Finland. After the party, Mr. Holkeri, accompanied by Mrs. Holkeri, was the guest of honour together with Mrs. Holkeri at a farewell dinner, hosted by H.E. Mr. Yukio Satoh, Permanent Representative of Japan.