Ms Maria Espinosa, the President of the 73rd UN General Assembly, on Monday handed over to Nigeria’s Muhammad-Bande, who will lead the 74th session of the assembly in the next one year.
The ceremony, held inside the General Assembly Hall of the UN headquarters in New York, marked the end of the 73rd session.
The 74th session formally began on Tuesday with the inauguration of
Muhammad-Bande, who is the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN
General Assembly.
Here is the full text of the inaugural speech by President of the
74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Tijjani
Muhammad-Bande at the Opening of the 74th Session of the General
Assembly:
I am honored to address you today as President of the 74th Session of
the United Nations General Assembly. I am grateful to all Member
States, for the confidence reposed in me, and I assure you of my
commitment to upholding the ethics of the Office of the President of the
General Assembly and the principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
I thank former President Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, for her
excellent stewardship and tireless efforts in guiding our work during
the 73rd session. I am also grateful to the Secretary-General for his
leadership and commitment to the United Nations and its ideals.
In preparing to take office I had interacted with you all and I am
grateful for the inputs you made to better frame and deepen our Vision
Statement; which is owned by us all. It is now time for the
implementation of our plans, and I will count on you for continued
support.
Our Vision Statement focused on the implementation of the SDGs,
particularly poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education,
climate action and inclusion.
Accordingly, I will with your kind support and guidance pay close
attention to the effective implementation of inherited mandates and the
following priorities which I enunciated in my vision statement and at
the Dialogue with Member States prior to my election:
Promotion of peace and security, particularly, conflict prevention. I
will collaborate and coordinate with the Security Council, and the
Secretariat to ensure that greater attention is paid to prevention
rather than reaction to full blown conflict(s). I will also advocate for
effective early detection and warning systems, as well as mediation,
negotiation and peaceful settlement of ongoing conflicts. I will work to
engender cooperation that will address drivers of conflicts such as
poverty, exclusion and illiteracy.
Increased partnerships for the implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), particularly, poverty eradication, zero hunger
and quality education. During this session I urge all member states to
share their experiences on poverty eradication, especially, on how
improved social protection systems can benefit vulnerable people, who
are most affected by poverty.
I request you all to focus on how best to strengthen the UN system to
ensure that the most vulnerable escape the debilitating web of poverty
and hunger, through sharing of knowledge on sustainable food production
systems, resilient agricultural practices, availability of productive
and affordable agricultural machinery and expansion of entrepreneurial
capacity.
Quality education is important and the fact that no nation can
develop past its educational capacity, particularly that of its
teachers, means we must work to ensure that Member States can partner on
teacher training, access to free and quality primary and secondary
education, among others. In some communities the need is construction of
schools, while in many others, it is safety of students. We must device
means to attend to the educational needs of all.
Climate Change remains a key issue in development and we must tackle
its causes and the repercussions. The recent emergencies in the Bahamas,
Mozambique, and the Sahel region, among others, reminds us of the
urgency of strengthening global we must find a way to strengthening
global action to tackle climate change.
Accentuating inclusion, particularly starting from our Organization
is also important. We must continue to ensure that the rights and
empowerment of youths, women and the disabled around the world is
prioritized.
Without doubt, we need to forge partnerships to accelerate the
implementation of the SDGs and diligently work to find innovative ways
of improving financing the Goals.
In one week, our Heads of State and Government will gather in this
great Hall for the General Debate. In parallel, they will also devote
attention to the Climate Action Summit, High-Level Meeting on Universal
Health Coverage, Sustainable Development Goals Summit, the commemoration
of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the High-Level Dialogue
on Financing for Development, the International Day of the total
Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and the Mid-Term review of the SAMOA
Pathway. During that week, they will deliberate on issues that are key
to improving the lives of billions of people around the world and
pronounce policies to accentuate development.
The outcomes of the deliberations during the High-Level week will
guide our work during the rest of the session. We must never forget that
the world looks up to the United Nations as a veritable vehicle for
attaining peace and security, sustainable development and universal
human rights.
As the most representative deliberative body of the United Nations,
the General Assembly needs to redouble its efforts to bridge gaps and
act for the common good of the people we serve, particularly as we
prepare for the celebration of the Seventy Fifth anniversary of the
Organization, and in line with the far-sighted vision of its founders.
We must build trust with one another, deepen partnerships and show
empathy. This is the only way to resolve the many challenges that
confront us. We will have to strive together, to deliver for all.
8. In conclusion, I wish to reiterate that the Office of the President
of the General Assembly for its 74th Session will work closely with the
President of the Security Council, President of ECOSOC and the
Secretary-General, to better ensure success in achieving our shared
goals.
Though I am cognizant of the competing demands that will burden you
during this period and beyond, I will continue to knock on your doors
and count on your support to make the 74th session of the General
Assembly a productive – even pleasant – one. This was what each, and
every delegation had assured me they will do. I am thus most assured
that we will achieve much during the session.