Ban Ki-moon

I’m honoured to be here with you, the President of the General Assembly, the President of the Security Council and most importantly, I’m extremely, extremely honoured and happy to meet you. You know, I have just a few more steps to go, and that’s the end of my mandate. That’s why I just wanted to stop here as long as possible to be with you.
 
I have made, during the last ten years, thousands and thousands of speeches and remarks.
But there is not much for me to say. 
 
I have just two words:  Thank you. 
 

Today, the Secretary-General called Mr. Adama Barrow, President-elect of The Gambia, to congratulate him on his electoral victory. He confirmed that the United Nations welcomed and fully supported the ECOWAS decisions of 17 December on The Gambia, and he reiterated the commitment of the Organization to support a peaceful, timely and orderly transfer of power in full respect of the will of the Gambian people. 

The Special Envoy welcomes the announcement of a nationwide ceasefire between the Government of Syria and armed opposition groups in Syria, to come into effect at 00:00 hours on Friday, 30 December 2016.  The Special Envoy notes that a comprehensive cessation of hostilities remains a cornerstone of the framework laid down in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). The Special Envoy hopes that the implementation of the agreement will save civilian lives, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance across Syria, and pave the way for productive talks in Astana.
 

The Secretary-General welcomes the inauguration of the new Federal Parliament of Somalia on 27 December 2016 and warmly congratulates the people of Somalia on this historic achievement in their quest for universal suffrage by 2020.