Since his election in May 2017, President Lajčák has committed to running his Presidency in the most open and transparent manner possible.

Member States worked in close contact with the Presidency of the General Assembly in order to strengthen the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of the Office. Resolution 70/305  on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly and its annexes, adopted on 13 September 2016, have been welcomed as a milestone and breakthrough on this process. The 71st Session followed recommited to these newly established procedures with Resolution 71/323.

On 11 September 2017, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák became the second President to take an oath of office in which he solemnly declared to truthfully perform the duties and exercise the functions entrusted to him as President of the General Assembly of the United Nations in all loyalty, discretion and conscience, and to discharge these functions and regulate his conduct with the interest of the United Nations only in view and in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the Code of Ethic for the Presidency of the General Assembly, without seeking or accepting any instruction in regard to the performance of his duties from any Government or other source external to the Organization.

The President of the General Assembly is committed to openness and transparency with respect to the financing of his office. President Lajčák will finance his official activities and those of his Office solely through the United Nations regular budget and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA), thus increasing transparency. President Lajčák participates in the Financial Disclosure Programme, which helps to maintain and enhance public trust in the United Nations. He is the first ever President of the General Assembly to make his personal financial disclosure summary publicly available upon assumption and completion of his duties.

General Assembly Seventy-first session 98th plenary meeting 1. Minute of silent prayer or meditation 2. Closing of the seventy-first session of the General Assembly
General Assembly Seventy-first session 98th plenary meeting. 1. Minute of silent prayer or meditation 2. Closing of the seventy-first session of the General Assembly. Handing over the gavel

Code of Ethics

In the understanding that a Code of Ethics for the President of the General Assembly is an important part of the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, and that such a Code of ethics will strengthen the capacity of the President of the General Assembly to exercise his or her duties and responsibilities whilst enhancing his or her moral authority, integrity and credibility, Annex 2 of Resolution 70/305 on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly contains the Code of Ethics for the President of the General Assembly. The President has requested the members of his office to abide by the same principles and obligations and to bear its content in mind during the discharging of their mandate in the service of the General Assembly.

 

Code of Ethics for the President of the General Assembly

Code of Ethics for the President of the General Assembly

1. The President of the General Assembly (hereinafter referred to as “the President”) in performing his or her duties and responsibilities as an elected official, fully in line with the United Nations Charter and the General Assembly Rules of Procedure, shall at all times from the date of election observe the highest standards of ethical conduct.

2. The President shall perform his or her duties and responsibilities in an impartial and equitable manner and in full honesty and good faith.

3. The President shall avoid any action which might result in or create the appearance of:

a) The use of the office of the Presidency or resources attached thereto for private gain; b) Giving unwarranted preferential treatment to any state, organization or person; c) Impeding the work of the Organization, or taking a preferential, biased or prejudged approach; d) Affecting adversely the confidence of Member States in the integrity of the work of the Organization.

4. The President shall engage with Member States in a consultative and cooperative manner, while at the same time refraining from receiving or accepting instructions from any individual, governmental or non-governmental organization or group whatsoever.

5. The President shall avoid any situation involving a conflict between his or her own personal or private interest and the interests of the Presidency or the United Nations.

6. The President shall ensure the greatest possible transparency in the utilization of property, premises, services, and resources made available for the discharge of the functions of the office, and ensure that they are used only for the official business of the Presidency, and not for other purposes.

7. The President shall ensure the greatest possible transparency in any external activities, or any commercial dealings, to protect against conflict of interest. Holding of any commercial office during his or her term in office is not compatible with the post of the President.

8. In the event that the President considers that a conflict of interest may arise, he or she shall recuse himself or herself from handling the matter and, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly, appoint an Acting President in relation to that matter or meeting.

9. In the fulfilment of his or her mandate the President is accountable to the General Assembly.

10. Any reference to the President in this Code shall also include members of his or her office while in the exercise of their functions as members of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.

11. Nothing in this Code shall preclude the President or members of his or her office from being seconded from their government or from retaining the privileges, immunities and diplomatic status granted by a Member State.

Information on Finances

UN Regular Budget

Member States have allocated 326,400 USD annually in the current UN Regular Budget to the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA) to cover hospitality, official travel and other expenditures relating to the President’s official responsibilities. The budget allocation for the OPGA in the Regular Budget for the biennium 2018-2019 will be decided by the General Assembly during the main part of its 72nd session. Expenditures from the regular budget are managed on behalf of the OPGA by the Executive Office of the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management in accordance with the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations.

 

Donations in support of OPGA

Donors can directly support the work of the PGA through contributions chanelled through the UN system, including to the dedicated OPGA Trust fund, which is regulated by UN Financial Regulation and Rules. PGA 72 will report publicly on contributions made to the fund upon receipt.
It should also be noted that General Assembly Resolution 71/323: “Stresses the importance of the contributions of Member States to the trust fund in support of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, and in this regard notes with appreciation the contributions that have been made to the fund, and encourages Member States to continue to contribute to the fund and to allow for unspent contributions from previous sessions to be made available for succeeding term”
 

 

Contributions to the OPGA Trust Fund for the 72nd session

 
DATE CONTRIBUTOR PROJECT COMMITMENT
June 2017 India General administrative, logistical and management support USD 250,000
July 2017 Hungary General administrative, logistical and management support USD 56,970
July 2017 Turkey General administrative, logistical and management support USD 60,000
August 2017 Slovakia General administrative, logistical and management support USD 178,500
September 2017 United Arab Emirates General administrative, logistical and management support USD 300,000
September 2017 State of Qatar General administrative, logistical and management support USD 500,000
September 2017 State of Kuwait General administrative, logistical and management support USD 150,000
October 2017 Georgia To support funding of the position of Consultant for Legal Affairs USD 30,000
October 2017 Luxembourg To support initiatives on prevention and mediation in sustaining peace, including the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on sustaining peace foreseen in April 2018 USD 11,783
October 2017 Ireland General administrative, logistical and management support USD 152,917
October 2017 China General administrative, logistical and management support USD 300,000
December 2017 Cyprus General administrative, logistical and management support USD 8,330
December 2017 Germany To support initiatives on prevention, mediation and sustaining peace, including the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on sustaining peace foreseen in April 2018 USD 300,000
February 2018 Kingdom of Bahrain General administrative, logistical and management support USD 100,000
February 2018 Japan To support initiatives on prevention, mediation, sustaining peace, Sustainable Development Goals, and to provide general administrative, logistical and management support USD 50,454
February 2018 Kingdom of Bahrain General administrative, logistical and management support USD 100,000
 
Contributions to the Trust Fund are reported after receipt. This section will be updated periodically.

Information on Travel

The President of the General Assembly discloses information about any official visits he undertakes overseas.

To date, the President has travelled on official visits to:

 

From 31 May 2017 (election) to 12 September 2017 (assumption of office)

  • Russian Federation, 6 June 2017 (supported by the Government of Slovakia)
  • Japan, 2 – 5 July 2017 (supported by the Governments of Japan and Slovakia)
  • China, 12 – 15 July 2017 (supported by the Governments of China and Slovakia)
  • Switzerland, 25 July 2017 (supported by the Government of Slovakia)
  • India, 26 – 28 August 2017 (supported by the Government of India)
  • Slovenia and Poland, 4 – 5 September 2017 (supported by the Government of Slovakia)

 

From 12 September 2017 onwards

  • Geneva (Switzerland), 10 – 12 October 2017 (supported by UN regular budget)
  • France, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, 30 October – 6 November 2017 (supported by the UN regular budget and the Governments of Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates)
  • Germany, 15 November 2017 (supported by the UN regular budget)
  • Austria and Switzerland, 27 – 28 November 2017 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
  • Kenya and Mexico, 1 – 7 December 2017 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
  • France, 14 December 2017 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
  • UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Italy, and Switzerland, 13 – 25 January 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Governments of the UAE, the State of Kuwait and the State of Qatar)
  • Republic of Korea, 7 – 11 February 2018 (supported by the UN regular budget, Government of the Republic of Korea, the International Olympic Committee and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizenship)
  • Germany, 16 – 18 February 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
  • Switzerland and Ethiopia, 25 February – 1 March 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
  • Colombia, 15 – 17 March 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly
  • Czech Republic and Belgium, 25 – 27 March 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Government of the Czech Republic)
  • Azerbaijan, 4 – 6 April 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Government of Azerbaijan)
  • Italy, 27 – 30 April 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
  • Sweden and Rwanda, 7 – 8 May 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Governments of Sweden and Rwanda)
  • Thailand and Slovakia, 14 – 19 May 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Governments of Thailand and Slovakia)
  • Finland, Romania and Greece, 17 – 22 June 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Governments of Finland, Romania and Greece)
  • People’s Republic of China, 1-3 July 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the Governments of China)
  • Liechtenstein and Austria, 24 – 26 August 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the Governments of Austria and Liechtenstein)

Information on the staff of the Office of the President

The staff of the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly (OPGA) are identifiable through their biographies on the website. The overall composition of the Office is as follows:

  • The Office of the President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly currently has 29 team members, of which 21 are female and 8 male
    • 17 staff are seconded from member states
    • 7 staff are provided for by regular UN budget (3 administrative assistants, 2 from the senior executive team, 1 senior adviser and 1 spokesperson)
    • 3 staff are recruited through voluntary contributions to the OPGA Trust Fund
    • 1 secondments from the UN system – IOM
    • 2 UN interns

 

Respect for balanced gender and geographical representation

Another aspect of President Lajčák’s pledge to strengthening openness and transparency during his tenure is the commitment to ensure full respect for a balanced gender and geographical representation in the Office of the President of the General Assembly, with the aim of securing equal opportunities for women and men from all regional groups and bearing in mind the need to secure the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Currently his staff consists of 70 per cent women on all levels and 30 per cent men.

Information on the Trust Fund of previous sessions of the General Assembly

GA Session Contributor  Project Commitment

64th session

(Sep 2009 – Sep 2010)

 Government of Norway Thematic Debate on Disarmament USD 50,134
Government of Algeria Thematic Debate on Disarmament USD 10,000
Government of Egypt Thematic Debate on Disarmament USD 10,000

65th session

(Sep 2010 – Sep 2011)

 Government of the Republic of Korea Staffing USD 126,500
Government of Italy Staffing USD 265,000
Government of Slovenia Thematic Debates during 65th session, including on Least Developed Countries USD 7,060
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Thematic Debates for the preparation of 4th Least Developed Countries Conference (including other thematic debates during the 65th session) USD 59,700
MacArthur Foundation Thematic Debate on International Migration and Development USD 37,178

67th session

(Sep 2012 – Sep 2013)

  Government of Qatar General administrative, logistical and management support  USD 100,000
Government of Luxembourg For initiatives in the area of the reform and revitalization of the UN USD 12,872
Government of People’s Republic of China General administrative, logistical and management support USD 300,000
Government of Turkey General administrative, logistical and management support USD 60,000
Government of Japan General administrative, logistical and management support USD 6,471

68th session

(Sep 2013 – Sep 2014)

 Government of Italy To support Post-2015 Development Agenda USD 50,000
Government of Antigua and Barbuda Concert USD 47,164

69th session

(Sep 2014 – Sep 2015)

  Government of United Arab Emirates  General administrative, logistical and management support  USD 50,000
Government of South Africa General administrative, logistical and management support USD 50,000

70th session

(Sep 2015 – Sep 2016)

 Government of Turkey High-Level Thematic Debates USD 50,000
Government of People’s Republic of China General administrative, logistical and management support USD 300,000
Government of Ireland Staffing USD 114,038
Government of Denmark High-Level Thematic Debates USD 365,593
Government of Germany General administrative, logistical and management support USD 56,150
Government of Kazakhstan High-Level Thematic Debate on UN, Peace and Security USD 15,207

71st session

(Sep 2016 – Sep 2017)

 Government of the Republic India General administrative, logistical and management support USD 250,000
Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan General administrative, logistical and management support USD 25,000
Government of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste Support for SDGs, Oceans, Climate Change USD 200,000
Government of People’s Republic of China General administrative, logistical and management support USD 300,000
Government of United Arab Emirates General administrative, logistical and management support USD 100,000
Government of State of Qatar General administrative, logistical and management support USD 250,000
Government of the State of Kuwait General administrative, logistical and management support USD 150,000
Government of the Republic of Turkey General administrative, logistical and management support USD 100,000
Government of the Slovak Republic General administrative, logistical and management support USD 10,423