– As delivered –
Statement by H.E. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly
15 December 2020
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
On 21st September, you came together in this Hall to recognise that, while there is no other global organization with the legitimacy, convening power, and normative impact, as the United Nations, we need to strengthen international cooperation, while being guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter to ensure the future we want and the United Nations we need.
As recognised in the Declaration, much has been achieved since the UN was established. But we have further to go to achieve the world our founders envisaged 75 years ago.
In the adopted resolution, we requested that the Secretary-General report back to the General Assembly before the end of the seventy-fifth session with recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges.
We are meeting today to give the Secretary-General an opportunity to outline his vision of a reinvigorated multilateralism and to present how he intends to implement this mandate. But more importantly, this is the opportunity for the Secretary-General to hear from you Member States on how the General Assembly and Member States can contribute best to the implementation of the Secretary-General’s mandate over the months to come.
The Member State track of the Secretary-General’s consultations is critical. There are other tracks as well, involving civil society, youth and other stakeholders. We cannot work in silos. Our consultations must reflect the interconnected nature of our world. Our work must be transparent and fair, so diverse voices have the opportunity to be heard.
Since the Declaration was negotiated, almost six months have passed. It has been three months since it was adopted. The Secretary-General’s mandate is complex and critical. It requires our support.
Distinguished delegates,
This General Assembly has given the Secretary-General his mandate. We must now fulfil our own commitments made in the Declaration:
– to mobilize resources,
– strengthen efforts and
– show unprecedented political will and leadership.
Since the Declaration was negotiated, almost six months have passed. It has been three months since it was adopted. The Secretary-General’s mandate is complex and critical. It requires our support.
I count on you all to honour the commitment made in the Declaration, to work together with partners, to strengthen coordination and global governance, for the common future of present and coming generations.
The time to do this, is now.
We have no time to waste.
Thank you.
