Remarks as delivered by the President of the General Assembly,
Mr. Philemon Yang,
at a meeting of appointed co-chairs and co-facilitators of intergovernmental processes
3pm, January 2025, Conference Room 11
[As Delivered]
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I thank you for responding positively to my invitation to this meeting.
You are all here because you are co-chairs, or co-facilitators, in an intergovernmental process, either under the auspices of the General Assembly or another entity. I thank you all for the important work you have been carrying out.
It is work that is critical to the efforts of the United Nations.
Excellencies,
In September 2024, the international community rallied behind the Pact for the Future. Its adoption was a giant leap towards a more effective and inclusive multilateralism.
The Pact for the Future is a recommitment to the principles and values that underpin our international cooperation.
The Pact also ushered in an era of accelerated and measurable actions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and global attention is now, rightly, turning to its implementation.
Each of you had a part to play in the elaboration of the Pact. And each of you are now in a position to continue to play a critical role in its implementation.
The actions and commitments contained in the Pact for the Future and its annexes, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations, call for concerted measures by Member States and relevant stakeholders on issues that have been, and will be discussed and negotiated, in intergovernmental processes.
This is explicitly stated in paragraph 17 of the Pact, which calls for the advancement of the actions contained in the Pact through relevant, mandated intergovernmental processes, where they exist.
As President of the General Assembly, it is my responsibility to ensure that the work of the 79th session advances this call.
As incoming co-chairs and co-facilitators, it is your responsibility to take the necessary steps to ensure this complementarity through your respective processes.
This includes processes that help address the critical gap in financing toward the Sustainable Development Goals, which we know is tragically lagging behind.
This is particularly important when you consider the Pact’s focus on eradicating poverty, ending food insecurity, and promoting social development and inclusion, which are all dependent on adequate resources. The upcoming Second World Summit on Social Development is one such process to build upon.
Excellencies,
Other work streams where synergies exist include efforts to reform the Security Council, and work on the establishment of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence, amongst others.
On Security Council, we must help address longstanding concerns about the Council’s composition and working methods, and help to restore legitimacy and authority.
On Artificial Intelligence, we must harness its potential to address global priorities while addressing governance gaps, regulatory needs and inequalities in access.
Excellencies,
As outlined in my ‘Priorities Speech’ last week, I will be facilitating inclusive dialogues and creating opportunities for Member States to engage substantively on implementation.
Moving forward, as co-facilitators or co-chairs, I encourage you to build on the commitments in the Pact as your various processes begin to take shape and progress. Where specific commitments do not exist, I would urge you to remain guided by the spirit of the Pact and its annexes.
Please know that my Office stands ready to assist in facilitating your work and providing any necessary support.
As for today, I invite you to share your views on how you plan to align your work with the priorities articulated in the Pact and to identify areas where further support may be needed. Your efforts today are essential for breaking silos, maximizing impact, and paving the way for the 2028 global review.
I thank you.
Media Contacts
Sharon Birch, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, Tel: +1 212 963 0564, M: +1 646 342 5873, Email: birchs@un.org
Dr. Mariam Shaikh, Adviser/ Social and Digital Media/Media Relations, M: +1 917 3614990, Email: mariam.shaikh@un.org
