Since her election in June 2018, President Espinosa Garces has committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability during her Presidency.
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 and 72nd Session followed recommitted to these newly established procedures with Resolution 71/323 and Resolution 72/313.
On 17 September 2018, H.E. Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces became the third President to take an oath of office in which she solemnly declared to truthfully perform the duties and exercise the functions entrusted to her as President of the General Assembly of the United Nations in all loyalty, discretion and conscience, and to discharge these functions and regulate her 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 her 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 her office. President Espinosa will finance her official activities and those of her 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 Espinosa participates in the Financial Disclosure Programme, which helps to maintain and enhance public trust in the United Nations. She is the second President of the General Assembly to make her personal financial disclosure summary publicly available.
In the interest of transparency and accountability, President Espinosa has made publicly available her personal financial disclosure upon competition of the 73rd Session of the General Assembly. (posted 16 September 2019)
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 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 her 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 fulfillment 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
Donations in support of OPGA
Donors can directly support the work of the President through contributions chanelled through the UN system, including to the dedicated OPGA Trust fund, which is regulated by UN Financial Regulation and Rules. President Espinosa will report publicly on contributions made to the fund upon receipt. It should also be noted that General Assembly Resolution 72/321: “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 terms.”
Contributions to the OPGA Trust Fund for the 73rd session
DATE |
CONTRIBUTOR | PROJECT | COMMITMENT |
July 2018 | India | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 250,000 |
July 2018 | Hungary | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 50,000 |
August 2018 | Kingdom of Morocco | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 10,000 |
August 2018 | Georgia | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 86,910 |
September 2018 | State of Qatar | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 500,000 |
September 2018 | United Arab Emirates | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 300,000 |
September 2018 | State of Kuwait | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 150,000 |
September 2018 | People’s Republic of China | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 300,000 |
September 2018 | Republic of Turkey | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 60,000 |
October 2018 | Italy | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 150,000 |
November 2018 | Pakistan | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 10,000 |
November 2018 | Nigeria | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 10,000 |
December 2018 | Republic of Cyprus | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 5,700 |
December 2018 | Ireland | General administrative, logistical and management support | EUR 130,000 |
January 2019 | Portugal | General administrative, logistical and management support | EUR 10,000 |
February 2019 | Principality of Monaco | Campaign against plastic pollution | EUR 20,000 |
February 2019 | Sultanate of Oman | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 50,000 |
February 2019 | Japan | Sustaining Peace, SDGs, and general administrative, logistical and management support | USD 49,554 |
June 2019 | Republic of Korea | Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities | USD 30,019.42 |
August 2019 | The Russian Federation | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 20,000 |
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 she undertakes overseas.
To date, the President has traveled on official visits to:
From 5 June 2018 (election) to 18 September 2018 (assumption of office)
- China and India, 6 – 14 August 2018, (supported by the Governments of China and India)
- Japan, 29 – 31 August 2018, (supported by the Government of Japan)
From 18 September 2018 onward
- Switzerland and the Vatican, 22 – 31 October 2018 (supported by the UN regular budget)
- France, November 8 -13, 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Canada, November 25-26 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Poland, 30 November – 3 December 2018 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Morocco, 7 – 12 December 2018 (supported by the Kingdom of Morocco and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Qatar, 13 – 16 December 2018 (supported by the State of Qatar)
- Pakistan, 18 to 22 January 2019 (supported by Pakistan and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Oman, 22-25 January 2019 (supported by the Sultanate of Oman)
- United Arab Emirates, 9-12 February 2019 (supported by the United Arab Emirates)
- Switzerland, 24-26 February 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Belgium, 2-5 March 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Finland, 5-7 March 2019 (supported by the Republic of Finland)
- Argentina, 19-22 March 2019 (supported by Argentina and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Mexico, 1-3 April 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Cuba, 3-6 April 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Chad, 4-6 May 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Nigeria, 6-8 May 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Ghana, 8-11 May 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- The Vatican, 26 – 28 May 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Antigua and Barbuda, 31 May-2 June 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Switzerland, 9 -11 June 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- China, 16-20 June 2019 (supported by the People’s Republic of China)
- Portugal, 20-23 June 2019 (supported by the government of Portugal and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Egypt, 2-5 July 2019 (supported by the government of Egypt and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Jordan, 21 – 24 July 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Russia, 28-31 July 2019 (supported by the government of Russia and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- The United Kingdom, 4th – 7th August 2019 (supported by YMCA and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Bolivia, 8th- 9th August 2019 (supported by the government of Bolivia and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Austria, 22nd- 25th August 2019 (supported by the government of Austria and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Salt Lake City, 27th- 29th August 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- Slovenia, 1-3 September 2019 (supported by the government of Slovenia and the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
- The Hague, 3-4 September 2019 (supported by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly)
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 73rd Session of the General Assembly currently has 34 team members, of which 21 are female and 13 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 team leader and 1 coordinator)
- 4 staff are recruited through voluntary contributions to the OPGA Trust Fund
- 5 secondments from the UN system – IOM, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and DPI
- 1 UN intern
Respect for balanced gender and geographical representation
Another aspect of President Espinosa’s pledge to strengthening openness and transparency during her 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 her staff consists of 62 per cent women on all levels and 38 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 | 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 | 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 | |
72nd session (Sep 2017 – Sep 2018) |
Government of India | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 250,000 |
Government of Hungary | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 56,970 | |
Government of Turkey | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 60,000 | |
Government of the Slovak Republic | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 178,500 | |
Government of the United Arab Emirates | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 300,000 | |
Government of the State of Qatar | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 500,000 | |
Government of the State of Kuwait | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 150,000 | |
Government of Georgia | To support funding of the position of Consultant for Legal Affairs | USD 30,000 | |
Government of 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 | |
Government of Ireland | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 152,917 | |
Government of the People’s Republic of China | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 300,000 | |
Government of Cyprus | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 8,330 | |
Government of the Federal Republic of Germany | 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 300,000 | |
Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 100,000 | |
Government of Japan | To support initiatives on prevention, mediation, sustaining peace, Sustainable Development Goals, and to provide general administrative, logistical and management support | USD 50,454 | |
Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain | General administrative, logistical and management support | USD 100,000 |