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ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY H.E. MR. MIROSLAV LAJČÁK UPON HIS ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THE 72ND SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Photo credit: un.org

Re-posted from the General Assembly of the United Nations page.

 

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH UPON ELECTION

31 May 2017

 – AS DELIVERED –

Your Excellency, Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly,
Your Excellency, António Guterres, Secretary-General,
Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

Before I begin, I would like to join and support the statement of President Thomson condemning in the strongest terms the horrible attack in Kabul (31 May 2017). There is no justification for such horrific violence.

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates,

First of all, thank you very much.

I am truly delighted to be elected as President of the seventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly. It is my greatest honour to have earned your support. I do feel truly privileged to have the opportunity to serve you throughout the
next session.

I have been a professional diplomat all my life, serving with passion and commitment both Slovakia and the international community. I have fostered my belief in respect, honesty and dignity, rules, dialogue and search for compromise.

Throughout my career I have been fortunate to meet many of you in person. Thus earning your trust today means not only professional but also personal responsibility.

It is the first time Slovakia has been entrusted with this role. I am very grateful for the support at home— from the President, the Government and the people. My country has always been strongly committed to multilateralism with the United Nations at the centre of it. And, over the years, we have contributed to a wide range of UN activities—through the work in the main UN organs, participation in peacekeeping operations or delivery of humanitarian or development assistance.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

During my tenure, I want to pay due attention to all three UN pillars. And I intend to work on the following six priorities, not necessarily in this order:

First of all, I want to draw the attention of Member States to people. That is why I suggest to focus on people—to strive for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet.

I do believe we can do more to bring the United Nations closer to the world’s citizens. Nations around the globe continue to have high hopes of the United Nations. It is a key task for the General Assembly, as the most representative organ, to step up its efforts. It should make a real difference in the lives of ordinary people.

Secondly, I wish to highlight the importance of prevention and mediation in sustaining peace. I share this priority with Secretary-General Guterres, as I have always been a strong proponent of preventive diplomacy. Past efforts and existing UN opportunities on sustaining peace will be addressed at the already-mandated high-level meeting in April 2018.

My next priority will be migration. The consultative process of the Global Compact for Migration will shift into intergovernmental negotiations. Migration is not a short-term seasonal and regional problem. It is a very complex global and generational issue that needs true worldwide attention.

I will also take a closer look at the Sustainable Development Goals and climate. We need to keep political momentum. I will follow up on work of President Thomson and support Deputy Secretary-General Mohammed in her efforts. More should be done to address inequalities and explore ways to help mainly Least Developed Countries and small island developing States.

In this regard I feel encouraged by commitments of Member States as well as the current leadership of this esteemed body. Activities such as next week’s conference on oceans go in the right direction, in terms of both substance and timing.

My fifth focus will be on human rights as an overarching principle guiding my work. There is no peace and development without respect for dignity and fundamental rights. Continued support for equality, including equal opportunities for genders, will remain high in my activities.

The principle of equal representation will be respected also in terms of composition of my team. In this regard I will continue the dialogue with you. I strongly wish to reach both gender and geographical balance in the Office of the President of the General Assembly.

And number six—it is quality—especially in terms of mandated events. I will not bring any new initiatives that may put an additional burden, mainly on smaller States. I would rather like to see the agenda in clusters and streamlined with concrete results.

Mr. President, Secretary General, Excellencies,

The Presidency of the General Assembly is an increasingly demanding position. In preparing for my post, I consulted broadly with Member States and other stakeholders.

It is our common goal to create a stronger UN able to better meet all expectations. I will facilitate a constructive, informed and open interaction among Member States and with you, Mr. Secretary-General. I stand ready to consult your reform initiatives in the areas of peace and security, development and management.

In search for deeper change of our organization, we must strengthen the trust between the UN and membership as well as the major groups. Many Member States feel that we need tangible progress on the UN reform agenda and revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. I will do all I can to support this effort.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is vital to make further strides towards improving the efficiency and role of the General Assembly. I share the view that this is both a technical and political issue. By far, the most widely mentioned UN reform topic is the reform of the UN Security Council. There is a high degree of accord that it is time to transform the Security Council into a twenty-first century body. I intend to work closely and consult widely with you on how to push forward the agreement our leaders made at the 2005 World Summit.

Mr. Secretary-General, Dear Antonio,

Let me thank you for being here with us today. It is not an easy time to be heading the world’s leading international organization. Your steadfast commitment in taking the UN mandate forward is very much appreciated and needed.

Mr. President, Dear Peter,

I wish to express my special gratitude to you for your outstanding cooperation, advice and guidance. You are a committed leader in many areas but especially on the promotion of implementation of the SDGs. Your dedication to strengthen the continuity and the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly has been exceptional. You and everyone on your team has been so helpful in getting ready for my presidency. Without your generosity and good will the transition would be much more complicated. And until September, let me assure you of my firm support to your ongoing efforts.

Mr. President, Secretary General, Excellencies,

I wish to thank you once again for the opportunity to serve you. I will do my utmost to represent you to the best of my abilities. I look forward to collaborating closely with all of you very much focusing on pragmatic and practical issues. I pledge to represent each country as an honest broker in a fair and open manner. And I want all Member States to have a sense of
belonging and equal relevance.

Thank you for your attention.

 

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