The Secretary-General's Statement on election of His Excellency Dr. Srgjan Kerim as President of the 62nd Session of the General-Assembly

Mr. President-elect,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

I am honoured to offer my warm congratulations to Dr. Srgjan Kerim on his unanimous election as President of the 62nd session of the General Assembly.

As a seasoned diplomat, a prolific scholar and a successful businessman, Dr. Kerim will bring a wealth of experience and talent to leading the work of the General Assembly and making it more effective.

Through this early election, pursuant to relevant General Assembly resolutions, Dr. Kerim and his team will have time to prepare for the upcoming session of the General Assembly, and come to grips with the many and complex issues facing the Organization.

And it will allow Dr. Kerim to benefit from the steadfast support, wisdom and dedication of your leadership, Madam President -- as I myself was fortunate enough to do, before and after I assumed office.

In our complex and fast-changing world, the work of the United Nations is becoming increasingly indispensable. The stronger the cooperation between the principal organs of the United Nations, the better we will be able to meet the expectations and fulfill the hopes the millions of people around the world -- people whom we exist to serve.

The role of the General Assembly is vital to our work. It is needed to implement the most essential reforms and adapt the Organization to the realities of the twenty-first century. It is needed to accelerate progress to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

The United Nations and its Member States, with the strong support of non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector, must spare no effort in confronting these challenges together.

Our cooperation needs to extend to all the major issues before us -- from fighting terrorism to bringing the benefits of globalization to all the world's people; from promoting and protecting human rights to strengthening the Organizations' overall coherence, and its capacity in peacekeeping operations as well as disarmament and non-proliferation.

Dr. Kerim, allow me to assure you that you will have my full support and cooperation, both during this transition period and throughout your tenure. We will need to work closely together to complete the reforms under way and to address the challenges ahead.

Congratulations again and thank you very much.