11 September 2000

At his first press conference since his election on 5th September 2000 as President of the General Assembly, Mr. Harri Holkeri said that the work of the General Assembly could not be “business as usual”. “The clear message from the Millennium Summit was that the General Assembly must maintain the Millennium spirit and follow up on the commitments made by the 147 heads of State and Government attending last week’s Summit,” he said. “Not tomorrow, but today.”

The Summit, the largest ever gathering of world leaders, agreed to a vision for the new century, he said, which is contained in its Declaration. This Declaration reaffirms the United Nations’ development agenda and goals, and the vital and relevant role of the UN in its implementation, he said.

Stressing the high priority he will give to taking “firm action towards fulfilling these goals”, the President said that governments and the UN “cannot do it alone – we must outreach to others in civil society, both non-governmental organizations and the private sector.”

Full transcript of the press conference