Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly

– As delivered –

Statement by H.E. Mrs. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the 73^rd Session of the UN General Assembly

15 November 2018

Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honor to preside over the opening of the Assembly’s discussion on its agenda item related to the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.

Throughout its almost three decades of deliberations, this process has sought to strengthen the authority, the role and effectiveness of this body and improve its methods of work.

Today’s debate comes at a very critical moment for multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core. There is no question that, for several reasons, doubts are being raised about the ability of the multilateral system to find solutions to the global challenges that confront us.

While the challenges we face are getting more and more global -requiring multilateral solutions- we are witnessing trends towards unilateralism and isolation.

However, it is also encouraging that these trends have led to some of the strongest statements of reaffirmation of multilateralism in decades.

I returned last night from the commemorational activities of the Armistice, in Paris, for which the representation of the General Assembly was symbolic, as the parliament of the world.

I bring messages of peace and reinforced support for multilateralism – as well as high expectations – for the work of this Assembly, from participating Heads of State and Government.

The strong call by world leaders for a world order based on multilateralism during the General Debate of the General Assembly also signals a reassuring commitment to turn the tide. The record-breaking level of participation at that debate is further evidence of the renewed importance world leaders attach to the centrality of the United Nations to multilateralism.

With 126 delegations represented at the level of Heads of State and Government, this has been the highest-level event at UN Headquarters since the 2005 Summit. For my part I have taken this as a personal responsibility to uphold the values and importance of the General Assembly – not only here in New York, but in every single one of my official engagements.

Colleagues, if we needed a new mandate for serious revitalization of the General Assembly, the message could not have been stronger.

The need of revitalizing the Assembly, the most representative organ and the chief deliberative authority, is indispensable to our efforts to respond effectively to global challenges. And, to leave no one behind in the quest to meet the 2030 agenda.

In this context, I would say that I am honored to be the first President of the General Assembly to go through an interactive dialogue with Member States and other stakeholders, which allowed for further transparency and inclusivity in the selection process.

I look forward to improving the informal dialogue for the selection of my successor, as already mandated by the Resolution 72 /313 entitled “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”, including through establishing the guidelines for the informal interactive dialogue. We look forward also to seeing further female candidates for the position of PGA, as I am only the fourth woman to occupy this prestigious position out of 73 Presidents since the creation of the UN.

Achievements have been possible thanks to the constructive engagement of Member States and commitments of the co-chairs of the process. I would like to seize this opportunity to pay a special tribute to Ambassador Drobnjak of Croatia and Ambassador Mejía Vélez of Colombia for their dedicated work as Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly during the 72nd Session.

I am confident that you will extend your full support to the newly-appointed Co-Chairs, Ambassador Bahous of Jordan and Ambassador Mlynar of Slovakia.

Excellencies,

Despite progress made, we still have room for further improvement of the way we do business at the Assembly. I would like to point out some areas for possible progress:

First, the General Assembly Debate needs to preserve its primacy and deference, as a unique forum for world leaders to discuss the most pressing global issues. We need, in this regard, to make sure that parallel activity does not overshadow the Debate itself.

Member States have expressed concern with the huge number of events during the last General Debate. Six high-level meetings and some five hundred and sixty other meetings, convened by regional and other political groups, individual Member States and the UN System, is indeed a record.  But we need to ask ourselves if it is fruitful and fulfills the role of the General Assembly as a space for dialogue and deliberation on world affairs. 

For the 74th General Assembly session, we are already struggling with the dates and organizational arrangements for the already extremely busy week, with many parallel mandated Events. There is a need to collectively address this issue within a specified time frame as part of revitalization.

Secondly, we need to look at possibilities to further streamline our agenda, to dedicate more time for genuine dialogue; for reviewing the implementation of resolutions; and for quality and effectiveness.

Addressing the issue of the growing number of agenda items, resolutions as well as their length and the consequent lengthening of negotiation processes has to be part of this.

In this context, I wish to applaud Guyana’s leadership in taking the decision to remove item 16 of the 73rd session as a standalone item. This should inspire us all and generate momentum towards further streamlining of our work.

The multiplicity and overlap of events and issues has to be addressed through the process of alignment of Agendas of the General Assembly, the ECOSOC and their subsidiary bodies, especially its Second and Third Committees, to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I call on all Member States to work hard on this process in order to address the gaps and duplications in different agendas and make sure we deliver effectively and efficiently for the people we are here to serve.

Thirdly, in the context of strengthening the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of my Office, I would like to reiterate my commitment to ensure continuity of the best practices of my predecessors, including in terms of disclosure related to financing, staffing and travel details of my Office. I am building on the practice of close coordination with the main Charter Bodies, including through meetings and sharing summaries of the monthly discussions with ECOSOC President and Security Council President of the month. I am also ensuring close and regular collaboration with the Secretary General.

Furthermore, I am committed to making better use of the General Committee’s potential in further improving our agenda and the way we deliver.

The Office of the President has already made a distinct impact on the way we communicate, and we plan to further strengthen communication to ensure that people around the people understand and support our work and our outcomes.

As far as my convening power is concerned, I will strive to contribute to further rationalizing the number of High-Level meetings and thematic debates.

I will, therefore, rather focus on already mandated meetings and events to make contribution on areas defined in my priorities for the session, while limiting the number of new initiatives.

I trust that during the current session, Member States will continue with their consideration of possible ways to further strengthen the institutional memory of the Office of the President.

We will have the opportunity to provide needed information for your consideration, in order to address challenges related to the lack of preparation time for the new President, as he/she assumes the presidency only few days before the beginning of the General Debate; staffing and the mobilization of needed funding, to ensure sustainable and predictable resources for the accomplishment of the increasing number of mandates.

Excellencies,

Let me conclude with a call for stronger political commitment by all States in order to come up with bold and creative ways to make the General Assembly relevant to all people. We have no choice if we want to safeguard the values, institutions and practices that are our only guarantee for a safe, secure and prosperous world.

Thank you.