Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,

Mr. Dennis Francis,

at the GRULAC Monthly Meeting

[As Delivered]

18 December 2023

Excellencies,

Distinguished Delegates,

I should like to sincerely thank His Excellency, José Alfonso Blanco Conde, Permanent Representative of the Dominican Republic, and Chair of GRULAC – my home constituency – for inviting me to this meeting today.

As a fellow son of the region, I am delighted to see you all again.

GRULAC has always been a strong supporter of the General Assembly and indeed the Office of the PGA.

While I am not unmindful that some your countries have done so before, I wish to take this opportunity to particularly thank the Missions of the Dominican Republic and Saint Kitts and Nevis for the secondment of very able diplomats to be part of my team.

As we near the end of the first phase of our work, it is an opportune moment to look back and evaluate how we are advancing against the goals of peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability – the four “watch words” of my Presidency.

We can say two things, for certain:

First, it has become resoundingly clear that peace is the bedrock of any progress we hope to make across our priorities.

Second, the General Assembly is undoubtedly at the centre of global efforts to foster international cooperation and understanding on today’s most pressing issues – increasingly, those related to peace and security.

More than 70 days into the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, the Assembly has been active and ambitious – in providing a forum for all the 193 Member States to thoroughly ponder on the vexing issues, and to seek solutions.

Where the Security Council has been paralyzed by vetoes and disunity, the General Assembly – in contrast – has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, unhindered humanitarian access, and the immediate release of all hostages.

As President of the General Assembly, I will seize every opportunity I can to encourage cooperation among Member States with the same, single goal in mind – that is, achieving lasting peace for all.

Excellencies,

This is a message I also brought to the people of our fellow neighbour, Haiti, during my official visit in November – where I expressed the UN’s continued support and solidarity with the Haitian people.

Many of you attended the informal meeting earlier this morning, and I need not elaborate to you – Haiti’s neighbours and friends – how dire the security, political and humanitarian crises are for the country and for our region.

I urged all political actors and national stakeholders in Haiti to engage constructively in the national dialogue facilitated by CARICOM – and to ensure the full and active participation of the most vulnerable such as women and the young people in an all-inclusive political process on Haiti’s future.

This morning’s meeting on Haiti also showcased the trio of GRULAC Presidencies steering the three main UN organs – the General Assembly, the Security Council and ECOSOC – on an issue critical for the region, and indeed for the international community.

My Dear Colleagues,

The issue of Haiti and of many others, speak to the very core of our mission – in the General Assembly and the UN system at large  – to promote honour, respect, empower and uplift democracy and the rule of law and the human rights that are inherent in all of us.

This mission is particularly important in our pursuit of a world in which women and girls also have full and equal opportunities as men and boys to participate in all spheres of life.

This is why I have made the promotion of gender equality a top priority of my Presidency – and I have appointed our own, Keisha McGuire, Former Permanent Representative of Grenada, as my Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

As you know, I have also reestablished the Advisory Board on Gender Equality – and I would like to again thank one of our own, Her Excellency Ms Egry Lopez of El Salvador, for continuing as a Board member – thus ensuring that I benefit from her well known activism and competent advice on mainstreaming a gender perspective across the work of the General Assembly.

I also would like to thank the GRULAC members that have joined the second phase of the campaign for Permanent Missions to complete UN trainings on gender equality and the prevention of sexual harassment – which I launched together with UN-Women. I encourage all your teams to complete these trainings, so that the GRULAC can be in a strong position to demonstrate its commitment to gender equality.

I know that I can continue to count on you, Dear Colleagues, as strong voices for human rights and gender mainstreaming throughout this session.

Dear Friends,

Another priority issue that is dear to your hearts and mine is the need to make meaningful progress for those countries in special situations, namely the LDCs, LLDCs and the SIDS.

This is important to my Presidency, and I am pleased to inform you that I have re-established the Advisory Board on LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS – to ensure that these countries are at the forefront of our efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

In this regard, I wish to acknowledge and thank Her Excellency Paula Narvaez Ojeda, Permanent Representative of Chile and President of ECOSOC , as well as His Excellency Aubrey Webson of Antigua and Barbuda who are both members of this Advisory Board.

You are among the many GRULAC members steering the important work of this 78th Session – which makes me very proud and also feel very supported.

Here I should also like to recognize the following GRULAC colleagues for their sterling contributions to my Presidency:

  • His Excellency Jackman of Barbados – Co-Facilitor of the AMR process.
  • His Excellency Wallace of Jamaica – Co-Facilitator of the Declaration on Future Generations process.
  • Her Excellency Concepción Jaramillo of Panama – Co-Chair the Steering Committee on Accessibility.
  • Her Excellency Rambally of Saint Lucia – Co-Chair of the Ad hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly; and,
  • Deputy Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia, Ms. Kimberly K. Louis, who also serves as Co-Chair of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole of the General Assembly on the Regular Process.

Excellencies,

As we look ahead, the Assembly will continue its preparations on several high-level events, such as the Summit of the Future in September, 2024.

Indeed, the legitimate expectation should be that the Summit delivers measurable, adequately resourced commitments – for fast-tracking the SDGs, fortifying the global peace and security architecture, enhancing digital cooperation, as well as redressing governance gaps and supporting a re-invigorated UN.

I fully agree with the Secretary-General that global economic governance must be at the heart of reforms – so that we can build real trust and solidarity; and also enhance both inclusion and equity in our multilateral system.

The coming months will, therefore, be critical for solidifying Member States’ priorities – and I encourage you to engage in all the upcoming processes with an open mind; and to be creative and bold in your leadership, so that we can usher in the transformative solutions needed to accelerate action.

As President of the General Assembly, I will continue to advance these issues throughout the 78th Session – including the announced first ever Sustainability Week – a flagship initiative of my Presidency to be organized in April 2024, which will be an important stepping stone on our path towards true sustainable development.

It will feature high-level meetings on sustainability and resilience themes in the sectors of transport, energy, infrastructure, tourism and debt. My team is working on the logistics of organizing this important Week – and we count on your support to ensure highest possible participation by your delegations.

Excellencies, Dear Colleagues,

As I conclude, I know that the four “watchwords” of my Presidency resonate well among many Member States and are fully embraced by all of us in GRULAC.

And I have no doubt that I can count on your continued support to make this vision a reality for the 8 billion people counting on us to deliver, by:

  • Actively engaging across the Summit of the Future tracks.
  • Building consensus across all GA processes, and,
  • Demonstrating solidarity and leadership in tackling today’s complex interlocking crises, head on.

As always, my door – and that of my team – will remain open to you, at any time.

Once again, I wish to thank you Chair, for the invitation to participate in today’s discussion; and I look forward to hearing your insights.