UNITED
NATIONS
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Introductory
remarks for press briefing
21 December 2001
Thank you very much, Mr. Tharoor, and good morning ladies and gentlemen. As we come to the end of both the regular session of the General Assembly and the calendar year 2001, I think this is a good opportunity to look back upon the last one hundred days of my Presidency and share with you my observations of this 56th session of the UN General Assembly.
I think we would all agree that this has been one of the most eventful and extraordinary sessions in the history of the United Nations. Before my election, I had certain ideas about how it would unfold and what would happen, but in no way could I have imagined what actually came to be.
On the morning of September 11, I was attending a prayer breakfast in the Delegates Dining Room when tragedy struck just a few miles away and thus set the tenor for this session. After a one-day postponement, on 12 September, the General Assembly began its work by unanimously adopting a strong resolution condemning this heinous terrorist attack. It also decided to reschedule the Special Session on Children, and it soon became obvious that the General Debate would likewise have to be rescheduled for the first time ever.
Despite the difficult start, our work progressed in a relatively timely and efficient manner on the many important issues before the Assembly, owing in large part to the superlative efforts of the Chairs of the Main Committees, Vice Presidents and the Secretariat staff. We went ahead with the High-level Dialogue on Economic Cooperation for Development and had a very useful discussion on the Secretary-General’s Road Map report on the work of the organization.
On the first of October, mayor Giuliani spoke to the General Assembly, following which an unprecedented number of speakers stressed the need to urgently address the issue of international terrorism. This item, normally discussed in the Sixth Committee, was before the plenary for a five full days. Later, the Sixth Committee produced a strong draft resolution condemning terrorism and came very close to agreeing upon a draft for a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Work on achieving this goal will continue in late January next year.
But the session was not just about terrorism. A highlight of the session was the “Dialogue among Civilizations,” to which we devoted two days. I believe this marked a major milestone in promoting inter-faith and inter-cultural understanding, and I hope it will serve as a precedent for similar initiatives in the future.
In addition, we were finally able to hold the General Debate over a seven-day period and under a new format, hearing a record number of speakers, including 41 Heads of State and Government, 9 Deputy Prime Ministers and 96 Foreign Ministers. The new format was well received on the whole and will probably be utilized again. With an agenda containing 177 items, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions on a wide range of issues, from emergency humanitarian assistance to implementing the Millennium Declaration and from the law of the sea to demilitarization of outer space.
I am especially pleased to note that the General Assembly this year marks a turning point in its discussion of the agenda item on the situation in Afghanistan which has been taken up by the General Assembly since 1980 in accordance with resolution 462. In response to the rapidly changing situation in that country, the General Assembly and the Security Council have taken coordinated measures to restore peace and security and to reconstruct the war-ravaged nation. The Security Council has adopted a series of resolutions on the situation in Afghanistan by consensus, and the General Assembly will also soon adopt a resolution on the item by consensus. During this process, I have closely consulted with the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council.
I now believe there are excellent prospects, both short- and longer-term, for a positive transformation of the situation in Afghanistan. In this regard, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Secretary-General, Special Representative Mr. Brahimi, President of the Security Council and its members.
When the regular session ends, I expect that we will have adopted 275 resolutions and have held about 95 plenary meetings. Even so, consideration of some agenda items had to be deferred.
Though the session began on a very somber note, our spirits were considerably lifted when we learned of the joint award of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations and its Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan. This is an accolade in which the entire UN “family” can rightly share. However, I think it is important that we do not view it complacently as merely a recognition of past achievements. Rather, we should see it as a summons by the international community to do even more and better in the future. On a personal note, let me say that I was both deeply honoured and very grateful to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on behalf of the United Nations.
And so this year’s regular session, which ends soon, has been a period of extremes for the United Nations and for me personally. We will never forget the tragedy and triumph of the past one hundred days. But I have no doubt that the UN will emerge from this period as a more effective and self-confident organization than ever before.
Thank you for your
courtesy and attention. I will now try to answer any questions you may
have. /The end/