31 August 2022
H.E. Ms. Elina Kalkku, Permanent Representative of Finland
H.E Mr Csaba Kőrösi, PGA-elect for the 77th Session of the General Assembly
Excellencies,
Distinguished colleagues,
Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to Ambassador Kalkku for organizing today’s retreat. As the 11th of its kind, these retreats continue to underscore the importance of informal but very practical exchanges during the transition of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.
Finland’s ongoing support in this process has contributed immensely to the continuity of business, the strengthening of institutional memory and to making the Office of the President of the General Assembly more efficient.
I also take this opportunity to congratulate my dear brother, Ambassador Kőrösi as the incoming President for the 77th session of the General Assembly. I am grateful to the President-elect and his team for our successful cooperation since June of this year to ensure a smooth transition.
My friends,
I began my Presidency of Hope almost a year ago, resolved to contribute to global efforts for recovery from COVID19; rebuilding sustainably; responding to the needs of the planet; respecting the rights of all; and revitalizing the UN.
When I initially envisioned my presidency, I had no way of knowing how much the world would change in such a short period of time, or just by how much our multilateral system would be challenged. By new variants of Covid, by new conflicts, by economic recessions, and by an accelerating climate crisis, among other profound issues.
Yet, we have persevered. Through collaboration and hard work, the General Assembly has adopted a total of 300 resolutions and more than 125 decisions.
There have been many milestone decisions such as addressing the state of global food insecurity; reaffirming human rights to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; adopting the “Space2030” Agenda to stress the role of space exploration as a driver of sustainable development; elevating pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, at all political levels in order to building resilient health systems; and establishing the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, among others.
Over the span of my Presidency, I have convened a total of 97 formal plenary meetings of the General Assembly, 15 High-level Meetings and a further 27 informal plenary meetings, hearings and thematic debates. In addition, 92 intergovernmental consultations and informal meetings were held as part of intergovernmental negotiation processes.
In line with relevant resolutions and decisions by the Assembly, 15 mandated intergovernmental negotiation processes on behalf of the President of the General Assembly took place, for which 27 co-facilitators or co-chairs were appointed.
My friends,
The General Assembly is a unique platform for the voiceless and powerless. It brings together countries of the world on an equal footing. The conviction that all voices should be heard has guided my presidency.
As such, I have spared no effort to enhance the visibility of the work of the Assembly and to make it accessible to a wider audience. My tweets, podcast series, newsletters, and monthly reports aimed at increasing the visibility of the GA’s work and bringing the UN closer to people. Those same sentiments underscored my decision to travel to countries where PGAs have never visited throughout the UN’s 76 year history.
An extensive and detailed account of my five rays of hope for the 76th session will be discussed in my handover report.
As a message of legacy, I would like to focus on three main points.
First, we all saw the General Assembly come together in reaction to the aggression in Ukraine, through the convening of the 11th Emergency Special Session. Ending violence and suffering is now our priority in bridging the divides in today’s polarized world.
Second, we need to continuously build upon inclusive processes and consensus towards Our Common Agenda. For this process, I have appointed co-facilitators for recommendations of the report that were broadly supported by Member States during the consultations. This relates to processes on modalities of the Summit of the Future, a Declaration on Future Generations, and an establishment of the United Nations Youth Office. I would encourage that the implementation of recommendations contained in the report continue in the upcoming sessions.
Third, it has been particularly encouraging to witness the growing network of gender champions and the support for full participation of youth in decision making. As a flagship of this Presidency, the HOPE Youth Fellowship Programme is one that I hold dear to my heart and I am grateful to see its continuation for the next session. I strongly believe that there is no better investment in the future of multilateralism than in investing in our youth. I would also like to thank Member States that have contributed to my Youth time capsule initiative which also aims to advance the participation of youth.
Excellencies, dear friends,
The achievements I speak of here would not have been possible without the support of my team. I was blessed to have a diverse and dynamic cabinet and I am thankful for the support of those Member States that seconded their staff members to my office.
Looking ahead, I am happy to note that some of my team members will continue to serve in the 77th session. This is a healthy and progressive way of strengthening the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.
Without a doubt, the role of the General Assembly has been growing in importance and impact and this year it was additionally demonstrated by the adoption of the veto initiative. A stronger United Nations is necessary to build a resilient world. Efforts to make the United Nations efficient, effective and accountable must continue, together with efforts to reform the Security Council, revitalize the General Assembly and strengthen the Economic and Social Council.
My friends,
As we move into the 77th session of the General Assembly, let us do so with new mindsets, with renewed spirits and hope. We must be more than spectators of our own challenges. We must be initiators of action and enablers of solutions for the people that count on our actions for a better tomorrow.
Our journey under a Presidency of Hope has been fulfilled through the countless and tireless effort and support of so many, including the Permanent Missions to the United Nations, the UN Secretariat, Agencies and programmes, members of my Advisory Teams and Committees. Thank you all for your work, partnership and, most of all, friendship.
With those few remarks, I wish you all a productive interaction and offer my very best wishes to you, Mr President-elect for a successful 77th session of the General Assembly.
I thank you.
