22 February 2023

Esteemed Former Presidents of the General Assembly, Co-Chairs, Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

At the outset, I would like to thank Ambassador Fifield and Ambassador López for organizing this informal dialogue.

 

Let me also welcome my distinguished predecessors, who all ably guided the work of the General Assembly.

 

Thank you for taking the time to be here to share your experiences and thoughts.

 

 

Excellencies,

 

We are in an era of cascading, interlocking, multifaceted crises.

 

The UN itself is standing at the confluence of unprecedented, complex challenges.

 

Solutions to these crises require long-term thinking and transformative changes in our approaches.

 

As the world needs those changes, so does the General Assembly.

 

It is therefore an urgent task for us to reflect on the functions and responsibilities of the General Assembly.

 

We must start by asking ourselves, what role should the General Assembly play in this extraordinary time of history?

 

What do the Member States and the people they serve expect from the General Assembly and its President?

 

What guidance should the Member States give to the PGA?

 

What type of leadership should a President of the General Assembly exercise?

 

We must find answers to these strategic questions in the course of the discussions to come.

 

In my view the President should play the role of an impartial conciliatior in

– bringing Member States together,

– creating space for governments to find common ground, and

– striving for consensus.

 

And, as I see it, the Assembly should be a universal platform for meaningful debate, joint thinking and strategic planning – among the Member States, and with other bodies and stakeholders, such as civil society and scientists.

 

 

Excellencies,

 

At a time of major crises, we cannot afford the luxury to discuss for the sake of discussion.

 

We must act, and our actions must be concrete, impactful and tangible to make changes.

 

To that end, we should prioritize our work.

 

If we have close to two hundred priorities on our agenda, it means that we have no priorities.

 

We need to reestablish our focus by streamlining the priorities and, at times, undertaking compromises for the sake of the greater good.

 

 

The General Assembly and its President must adapt themselves to the realities of the world.

 

Indeed, the Assembly has been reviewing and improving its work since its inception.

 

I think all former Presidents of the General Assembly must have gone through similar soul-searching during their tenures.

 

Therefore, the revitalization of the General Assembly should not leave the wisdom of our predecessors unutilized.

 

We shall not miss any opportunity to learn from the experiences, ideas and suggestions of the forerunners.

 

And this is why our informal dialogue is such an important event.

 

 

Today I would like to listen to the voices of the distinguished former Presidents.

 

I am sure that all participants here will considerably benefit from their first-hand knowledge and the lessons learned by them during their terms of office.

 

As for me, I look forward to briefing the Ad Hoc Working Group at the Thematic Debate scheduled for 15 March, when I will present my views and concrete ideas.

 

Thank you.