As delivered by His Excellency Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, 4 June 2019
I am honoured by the trust the Assembly has placed in me through my election by acclamation to the position of President of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session. I am grateful to the Federal Republic of Nigeria for nominating me for this position, the Group of African States for endorsing my candidacy and all Member States for extending their invaluable support.
I congratulate President Espinosa Garcés on her tireless efforts in guiding our work throughout the current session and thank the Secretary-General for his leadership at this critical moment for the United Nations.
As I announced in my vision statement and during the interactive dialogue on 13 May, the implementation of the existing mandates for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with a particular focus on peace and security, poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, climate action and inclusion, will constitute the major priorities of my presidency. Accordingly, the high-level political forum to be convened during the Assembly’s seventy-fourth session, the Secretary-General’s climate summit in September, the high-level events on universal health coverage, financing for development and the Small Island Developing States (SAMOA) Accelerated Modalities of Action Pathway, the second United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, to be held in Lisbon, the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and all the other important meetings during the seventy-fourth session will provide major opportunities to promote the implementation of our goals and targets. We must seize all of those opportunities to galvanize political momentum and action at the highest level. I am committed to promoting the necessary partnerships with all stakeholders to achieve our objectives and, ultimately, doing our best to ensure peace and prosperity, particularly for the most vulnerable.
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, addresses the General Assembly upon his election as President of the Assembly’s seventy-fourth session.
We must continue to invest in sustaining peace and conflict prevention. Given that our Organization strives to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, and that the United Nations has not met the expectations of its founding fathers in terms of preventing many violent conflicts and mass atrocities, we must take on the collective responsibility for making the world a better, safer and more peaceful place. The promotion of human rights and the employment of women and young people deserve special attention, and I will devote myself to the promotion of gender parity throughout the United Nations system, starting with my own Office.
We will commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the creation of the United Nations next year. That presents us with a unique opportunity to reduce the trust deficit among nations, as we all share the same aspirations and have no choice but to work together. If we are to achieve the visions of our founding fathers, we must ensure that indifference and indecision do not creep into our Organization. The General Assembly must play its role in bridging the gaps and promoting collective action to address all international issues that deserve attention, in close coordination and collaboration with the Secretary-General, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.
In the coming weeks and during my presidency, I will count on the support and solidarity of all States Members of the United Nations, as well as the Secretariat. I will explore the robust potential of the convening platform of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and use its advocacy tools to promote a multilateral approach to finding workable solutions to the issues confronting us. I will work with Member States to streamline our work and improve the way we do business at the United Nations.
As most of us have drawn attention to the growing number of events, with the attendant risks of undermining genuine dialogue and overstretching delegations, I will work with all members on appropriate solutions, because I believe that we must make the United Nations more efficient and effective and more accountable to the people we serve.
Finally, as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session, I want to reiterate that openness, inclusivity and transparency will guide all the actions of the Office of the President.
