As ‘Intense Frustration and Disillusionment’ Brew amid Raging Global Conflict, Economic Uncertainty, Revitalizing General Assembly is Increasingly Critical, President Says
As people feel “intense frustration and disillusionment” amid growing conflict and international economic uncertainties on the heels of a deadly global pandemic, revitalizing the work of the General Assembly — the most democratic body of the United Nations — is growing increasingly critical, its President said today.
Delegates discussing the Assembly's work, also echoed his sentiments, highlighting the need to make the body more effective and efficient — a beacon of multilateralism — particularly in this day and age where conflict rages on multiple fronts. Revitalizing the body’s work is a timely order as the 193 Member States of the Assembly see their list of challenges — whether in climate change or food insecurity — continue to grow. A strong and efficient Assembly is particularly crucial to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, they said.
Assembly President, Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago), opening the debate, said that the images of the human cost of war and humanitarian crises are being etched indelibly into the public consciousness.
“They no doubt feel intense frustration and disillusionment when the Organization charged with stopping it seems incapable of doing so,” he said. And while war rages on, development, the climate crisis, human rights and disarmament concerns forcefully grind on, showing very little progress with the march of time. While some may regard revitalization of the General Assembly as a technical process — it is, essentially a political undertaking, he said.
“Today, we must have both the commitment and the courage to consider and agree solutions that transcend the ‘business as usual’ approach, considering that the challenges before us hardly qualify to be considered either routine or normal,” he stressed.
Speakers throughout the debate expressed similar views, with Indonesia’s speaker recalling how in the past two years, the General Assembly convened emergency special sessions relating to international peace and security as the Security Council failed to exercise its primary responsibility. The Assembly must be more equipped and strengthened to take on this role, he stressed.
Algeria’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, reaffirmed the Assembly’s role and authority in preserving the intergovernmental, inclusive and democratic nature of the United Nations. He called for a stronger relationship with the Security Council as well as a reduction to “the critical minimum” of high-level side events held parallel to the Assembly’s general debate so its sanctity can be preserved and strengthened.
The latter point echoed the sentiment of several other delegations, who in a similar vein, said that keeping the number of high-level and side events to a minimum is particularly important for the effective participation of small States.
Ecuador’s delegate said that the scheduling challenges during the Assembly’s high-level week have caused great strains to all delegations, particularly smaller ones. “It is imperative to streamline the programme during high-level week, perhaps limiting high-level events to no more than one a day,” he added.
The representative of Malaysia, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), stressed that revitalization of the Assembly is key to enhancing the United Nations’ overall effectiveness. A revitalized Assembly would bring more credibility, representation and dynamism to global policymaking on issues such as climate change and health crises.
Many speakers commended the progress made in gender parity but also emphasized that much more remained to be done. Several delegations said that it is high time to elect more women to the role of President of the General Assembly but also for the first time in history have a woman at the helm of the Organization as Secretary-General.
The representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, said that since the foundation of the United Nations only four women have been elected as President of the Assembly. “This must change,” she stressed. Mongolia’s delegate added that electing a woman as Secretary-General would be a significant step towards a more equitable and balanced global governance system.
Costa Rica’s representative commended the progress on gender parity, including regarding speakers and panellists for all General Assembly meetings, but also added that gender parity is the minimum, not the maximum. “It is the least we should be aiming for,” she emphasized.
The speaker from Pakistan, on a different note, said that the Assembly is authorized to consider and approve the UN budget and arrangements regarding the budgets of certain specialized agencies. Efforts to erode the authority and role of the Assembly’s Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) must be resisted. The role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination needs to be strengthened and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) needs to be told to avoid arbitrary positions in its budgetary recommendations.
In other matters and prior to the start of the debate, the Assembly decided to postpone the date of its recess to Friday, 15 December 2023, following a request of the Fifth Committee for an extension of its work to that date.
Opening Remarks
DENNIS FRANCIS (Trinidad and Tobago), President of the General Assembly, said that the images of the human cost of war and humanitarian crises are being etched indelibly into the public consciousness. “They no doubt feel intense frustration and disillusionment when the Organization charged with stopping it seems incapable of doing so,” he said. And while the war rages on, development, the climate crisis, human rights and disarmament concerns forcefully grind on, showing very little progress with the march of time. While some may regard revitalization of the General Assembly as a technical process — it is, essentially a political undertaking. “Today, we must have both the commitment and the courage to consider and agree solutions that transcend the ‘business as usual’ approach, considering that the challenges before us hardly qualify to be considered either routine or normal,” he stressed.
For the effective functioning of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, it is critical that additional regular budget resources be provided, he said, appealing to the Chairs of both the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) to ensure that the relevant proposals are given favourable consideration. Going forward, it will be crucial that the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly advances its work. He pledged to continue the tradition of convening informal morning dialogues to stimulate creative exchanges between and among Member States, UN entities and other invited stakeholders — “as we continue to ponder solutions, real solutions, to today’s complex global challenges”.
Statements
Mr. OMAR (Malaysia), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said the General Assembly is the most representative organ of the United Nations. The revitalization of the Assembly, a unique forum for multilateral discussions, is key to enhancing the overall effectiveness of the United Nations. A revitalized Assembly would bring more credibility, representation and dynamism to global policymaking on issues such as climate change and health crises. He supported the call for gender parity and geographic balance in intergovernmental processes. He underscored the importance of streamlining the Assembly’s agenda to achieve a more focused debate and expressed a need for a mechanism to review the implementation of resolutions that the Assembly adopts. “Implementation of resolutions is the true test of our commitments,” he said.
On the selection of the Secretary-General, he emphasized the importance of an inclusive selection process and reiterated the call to encourage women candidates for that and other positions. He went on to call for a strengthening of the transparency and institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and he welcomed the Secretary-General’s requests for additional positions for the Office, considering its vast activities and importance. Accountability and transparency generally are important principles in the work of the United Nations. However, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) has a tradition and a practice of not disclosing the name of the State or States that requested votes on paragraphs or resolutions and the non-disclosure is inconsistent with those principles, he said, noting the issue merits further discussion. He concluded by calling for bold reform and renewed commitments.
REIN TAMMSAAR (Estonia), speaking on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group, said the Group is pleased that two‑thirds of the Member States are now signatories to the Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes and he encouraged others to join. “We would encourage signatories on the Council — who for many years have constituted a procedural majority — to work together to initiate discussions and products,” he said. Under the cluster of the role and authority of the Assembly, the Group will also continue to stress the importance of the Annual Report of the Security Council to the General Assembly. The Group considers there is room to improve the Report’s preparation. The exchange of views, such as a debate with the wider membership, should be organized in line with paragraph 129 of note 507, to assess the Council’s work before drafting the Report’s introduction.
Noting some progress was made during the last Assembly session regarding the selection of the Secretary-General, he encouraged Member States to remember there is yet to be a woman in the position. He encouraged Member States to remember that they agreed to create a repository of the past selection and appointments; agreed on some new language regarding elements to start the process; and invited future candidates to voluntarily disclose the funding sources of their campaigns. The Group underlines that Member States need a clear and much more predictable timeline for the overall process. “This was a stark omission from our last resolution, which must be addressed as priority in the seventy‑ninth session ahead of the next selection process,” he said. Agreeing on an indicative timeframe for the process would ease procedural burdens and improve clarity for both Member States and candidates.
SARAH VAN BRONSWIJK (Australia), speaking also on behalf of Canada and New Zealand, expressed pleasure on the strengthening of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and recognition of the breadth of mandates it delivers. This strengthens its institutional memory and capacity for everyone’s benefit. “The voluntary pledge to limit the number of side events held in the margins of the general debate is a perfect example of a small step taken in revitalization that over time can build to have normative impacts”, she said, noting that the potential scheduling impact mechanism to deconflict high-level meetings before they are mandated is an outcome that will see immediate benefits for the Assembly’s work this session. She welcomed the role and authority of the Assembly in matters of international peace and security recognized last session and underscored the significance of strengthening the efficiency and efficacy of the organ in all its work.
She commended progress made in enhancing transparency of the selection process of the Secretary-General and supported commitments to recognize, encourage and strive for gender parity across the United Nations. However, her group of countries is disappointed that women were not included in the rules of procedure of the Assembly. The importance of the role of women in international diplomacy and the Assembly should be reflected in the rules governing that organ, with Member States encouraged to build on this endeavour. She urged the new Co-Chairs and delegations to make progress on implementing the outcome of resolution 77/335 and previous revitalization resolutions as it is “a long-term process, with change achieved incrementally”. Her bloc is committed to constructively and transparently engaging in the General Assembly revitalization process to enable it to become effective, efficient and fit for purpose now and into the future.
HEDDA SAMSON, representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, highlighted the key accomplishments of the resolution adopted in September by consensus. These include agreements to streamline the agenda of the General Assembly, including via a voluntary pledge to limit the number of side events, as well as to provide the necessary resources to the Office of the organ’s President. Important advances in the transparency and accountability of the Secretary-General selection process were made, she pointed out, also spotlighting progress towards gender equality. Nevertheless, only four of the 78 Assembly Presidents have been women. “This must change,” she stressed. Recognizing the Assembly’s role in peace and security, including by granting it a standing mandate to convene a debate when a veto is cast in the Security Council, the international community also included strong language on improved accessibility to the United Nations for persons with disabilities.
These successes can be built upon in the next resolution two years later, she continued, emphasizing the need to implement agreements and find areas for improvement. “We should avoid thinking and working only in silos in our work of the General Assembly,” she noted. For instance, human rights should be included as a cross-cutting issue rather than being restricted to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural). Further progress is required on gender equality, such as by bringing the rules of procedures in line with today’s realities. She also encouraged further biennialization, triennialization, clustering and elimination of agenda items. Moreover, regular town halls and impactful consultations with civil society organizations, youth representatives, science-based knowledge centres and other relevant stakeholders should be held. Through constructive engagement, these issues can be addressed at the big summits in the following years. The Summit of the Future is a major opportunity to strengthen multilateralism, she underscored.
MARITZA CHAN VALVERDE (Costa Rica), associating herself with the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group, commended initiatives that allow Member States to reflect and explore the relationship between the Security Council and General Assembly. It is important to have interactive thematic debates of an inclusive nature about topical issues of critical importance to the international community, she said. The recent debate on the rising sea level is a very good example of the practical application of this provision. She commended the progress on gender parity, including regarding speakers and panellists for all General Assembly meetings. Gender parity is the minimum, not the maximum. “It is the least we should be aiming for,” she emphasized, underscoring the recent holding of a platform of General Assembly leading women, which was held on 26 September. On another note, she stressed that all of the Main Committees and their work must be improved in a substantive way.
IMANE BENZIANE (Morocco) said the revitalization of the General Assembly is closely linked to the overall revival of the United Nations and the ability of Member States to deal with the world’s complex and multidimensional changes. She welcomed tangible progress made over the years and she urged all Member States to build on what has been achieved, especially with regard to institutional memory. She was delighted to note the measures taken by the Secretariat, in particular the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, in ensuring the smooth running of the meetings and other activities and expressed support for the alignment of the Assembly’s agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Increased gender parity at all levels of the Organization is also important, she said, noting that the selection process for the Secretary-General should be transparent and inclusive. She concluded by saying the revitalization process requires the commitment of all Member States.
MARK SEAH (Singapore), allying himself with ASEAN and the Non-Aligned Movement, noted that while General Assembly resolutions are not binding, they set norms and express the collective will of nations. Welcoming the tangible results achieved by the Ad Hoc Working Group, he said bringing forward the opening of the Assembly by a week ensured more time for planning. However, he expressed dismay that a simple request for information on which country had called for a recorded vote in the First Committee was not responded to, because of an unusual practice of anonymity, which goes against the Organization’s principles of transparency. Further, his delegation’s proposal to describe the process for the selection of the Secretary-General was blocked by the five permanent members of the Security Council, because they saw this as a threat to their privilege of making decisions behind closed doors. Also drawing attention to the proliferation of high-level meetings during the high-level week of the seventy‑eighth session, he said it is impossible for small countries with small delegations to participate meaningfully in a plethora of parallel events.
AMINATH GURAISHA (Maldives) highlighted her delegation’s co-sponsorship of two landmark texts, including the one calling for resolute action to halt the violence against Palestinian civilians and the one calling for accountability for use of the veto in the Security Council. Welcoming efforts to reinforce complementarity between the agendas of the Assembly, the Main Committees and the Economic and Social Council, she noted that numerous resolutions are repeated annually, often with minimal substantive changes and lacking mechanisms to evaluate their execution. The primary emphasis should be on implementing existing resolutions. Expressing support for efforts towards gender balance and equitable geographical representation in the appointment of Committee Chairs and Bureau members, she said such diversity not only enhances the Organization’s credibility but also serves as a model for inclusivity and gender equality on a global scale. Finally, “the time is ripe for the United Nations to have a female Secretary-General,” she said.
MARTHINUS CHRISTOFFEL JOHANNES VAN SCHALKWYK (South Africa), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said the adoption of resolution 77/335 proves that an ambitious approach, building on a two-year process, can produce tangible outcomes to revitalize the Assembly’s work. The Assembly should be supported by an Office of the President with sufficient regular budget resources, while advancing women as candidates for the position of President. To reduce the strain on the Assembly itself and enable delegations’ effective participation, he supports streamlining the Organization’s work through appropriate coordination among the principal organs and their agendas, as well as rationalizing the number of outcomes. Regarding the selection and appointment of the United Nations Secretary-General and other senior executives, he said the Assembly’s authority needs to be respected. The Security Council should be encouraged to submit more than one name for the Assembly’s consideration and the Assembly should seriously consider appointing future Secretaries-General for a longer, but single, non-renewable term.
AMAR BENDJAMA (Algeria), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, underscored the importance of sustaining momentum on revitalizing the General Assembly as it “remains a crucial priority”, further serving to uphold the universal values and principles of the Charter of the United Nations so the Organization can be fit for purpose. It also improves global governance, reinvigorates multilateralism, strengthens democratic values and promotes the concept of equality. He called for a continuation of efforts along the political will of all Member States towards making the Assembly’s work more focused and relevant to overcome the persistent differences regarding the various issues on the four clusters on the agenda of the Ad Hoc Working Group. The Movement welcomes the decision of the General Assembly to biennialize the resolution on the revitalization process taken during the seventy-fifth session of the Assembly.
His bloc hopes concrete steps will be taken in this regard and commends the recent innovations in the working methods of the Working Group as well as informal interactive dialogues with former Presidents of the General Assembly. His group further reaffirms the role and authority of the General Assembly in preserving the intergovernmental, inclusive and democratic nature of the United Nations and calls for a strengthened relationship with the Security Council as well as a reduction to “the critical minimum” of high-level and side events held parallel to the Assembly’s general debate so its sanctity can be preserved and strengthened. He expressed support for enhancing the effectiveness of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and underscored the need to conduct an in-depth review of the Office’s functioning during the seventy-ninth session.
ENKHBOLD VORSHILOV (Mongolia), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said that it is vital to ensure that the Assembly remains effective and efficient in fulfilling its functions outlined under the Charter of the United Nations. Gender parity and equal representation are fundamental principles that the United Nations should uphold at its highest levels. Hence, electing a woman as Secretary-General is a significant step towards a more equitable and balanced global governance system. “At the same time, we would like to see more female Presidents of the General Assembly,” he said. Since the foundation of the United Nations only four women have been elected as President of the General Assembly. He also emphasized the need to limit the number of high-level events on the margins of the Assembly’s general debate. Keeping the number of high-level and side events to a minimum is particularly important for the effective participation of small States.
MUNIR AKRAM (Pakistan), associating himself the Non-Aligned Movement, said that the General Assembly, under the Charter of the United Nations, has vast complementary and residual authority in relation to the promotion and preservation of international peace and security. This authority is explicit whenever the Security Council is unable to act or is prevented from acting. Moreover, international law must be developed, negotiated and adopted in universal forums with the inclusive participation of all Member States. Further, the Assembly is authorized to consider and approve the UN budget and arrangements regarding the budgets of certain specialized agencies. Efforts to erode the authority and role of the Assembly’s Administrative and Budgetary (Fifth) Committee must be resisted. The role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination needs to be strengthened and ACABQ needs to be told to avoid arbitrary positions in its budgetary recommendations, he added.
EGRISELDA ARACELY GONZÁLEZ LÓPEZ (El Salvador) reminded States that the impact of decisions on revitalizing the Assembly’s work lies in their hands. That process “must translate into building a multilateral system that is relevant, flexible, agile and responsive to global issues”, she said, encouraging all delegations to actively participate in the Ad Hoc Working Group. She emphasized that “the current circumstances have only demonstrated the importance of the General Assembly's role in addressing emerging challenges”. If States implement its decisions, the United Nations can retain its legitimacy, convening power and normative impact. Moreover, the recent high-level week should trigger a serious reflection regarding better planning of the Assembly. Expressing hope that strengthening the Secretary-General’s selection process will elevate the first female to the post, she also called for amending the Assembly’s rules of procedure. Their outdated language does not recognize the role of women in diplomacy, she pointed out.
ANDY ARON (Indonesia), allying himself with ASEAN and the Non-Aligned Movement, said that the General Assembly needs to be more effective and efficient to deal with the critical issues of today’s complex realities. In the past two years, the Assembly has convened emergency special sessions relating to international peace and security as the Security Council failed to exercise its primary responsibility. Such instances require the General Assembly to be more equipped to play its role. Further, he said that transparency and accountability must be the foundation of all the work of the Assembly, including in its Main Committees. It is crucial to build trust and confidence among Member States as well. Indonesia particularly welcomes the advancement of the role of women in social and economic development as well as being agents of peace and security at home, in their regions and on the global playing field.
AYA YOSHIDA (Japan) said that the world stands at a historical inflection point and that effective multilateralism is key to address complex, multifaceted crises. The General Assembly, as the sole organ representing all Member States, holds the potential to restore people’s trust in the United Nations. She expressed support for better coordination between the Assembly and the Security Council, noting the Council’s inability to respond to issues. As a result, Member States recognize the urgent need to reform the Council but also the critical functions and power of the Assembly in matters of peace and international security. She called for accountability of the use of the veto in the Council through the submission of special reports and explanations at the Assembly. “Restraining the use of the veto will help restore confidence in the Security Council and the entire United Nations,” she said.
ANDRÉS FERNANDO FIALLO KAROLYS (Ecuador) said it is no coincidence that today’s two topics of discussion are revitalization and implementation. “It is the responsibility of all of us to implement the arrangements we agreed upon during the negotiations,” he said. Turning to the issue of side events, he noted that the discussion centres on the premise that fewer events outside the formal agenda would focus more attention on the general debate during the high-level week. Yet he questioned whether Heads of State, foreign ministers and other officials would even focus exclusively on a debate that lasts many hours, each day, during a week. “The format could be turning out to be anachronistic,” he said, adding it may be time to explore a new format for the general debate. A format in which global leaders can listen to each other, perhaps through groups of thematic meetings in which they deliver three-minute proposals, per delegation, on an issue.
ANTONIO MANUEL REVILLA LAGDAMEO (Philippines) said that, given the role and authority of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policymaking and most representative organ of the United Nations, it is critically important that Member States continue to enhance the organ’s effectiveness, transparency and inclusiveness. The Assembly should exercise its functions in a manner which enables it to take the lead on global issues, he said, adding an endorsement of the recommendation to streamline its agenda. To foster mutual trust and confidence among States, the United Nations must support a culture of trust and transparency as well, he said. A transparent and inclusive Secretary-General selection process with timely informal dialogues and town hall meetings with the candidates is important, he said, expressing support for a strengthened relationship between the Sixth Committee (Legal) and the International Law Commission, given their important mandates on international law.
THOA THI MINH LE (Viet Nam), allying herself with ASEAN and the Non-Aligned Movement, said, although encouraged by progress on revitalization of the General Assembly’s work, her country is mindful of the pressing need to continue momentum on responding effectively and meaningfully to a wide range of global challenges. In that regard, the Assembly should enhance its examination and discussion of international peace and security when the Security Council fails to address these issues. Its relationship with other organs of the Organization should be strengthened based on cooperation and the need for balance. She commended the continuity arrangement guaranteed by the practice of handing over reports on lessons learnt by the outgoing President of the Assembly to the incoming, thus cementing institutional memory, and called for greater transparency, inclusivity and credibility, including an open call for nominations into the positions of co-facilitator and Co-Chair of the Assembly’s processes. She said that discussions on the upcoming Summit of the Future should also focus on how to implement the SDGs.
OSAMA MAHMOUD ABDELKHALEK MAHMOUD (Egypt), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, underscored that, when the Security Council failed, it was the General Assembly that adopted a historic resolution calling for humanitarian pauses leading to a ceasefire in Gaza. As the Chair of the Fifth Committee, he recalled the invitation to further discuss the working methods of each of the Assembly’s Main Committees. Reiterating the members-driven nature of his Committee’s work, he advocated for addressing that matter cautiously. Also important is to rationalize the Assembly’s workload as well as to strengthen its role in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads. On the latter, the Organization should strive to achieve equitable geographical representation and accord priority candidates from developing countries. Regarding the election of the judges of the International Court of Justice, he said: “We should try to explore the possibility of having an interactive debate with the candidates.”
The representative of Cuba, associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, emphasized that, in implementing the resolution’s mandates, the rights and sovereign interests of States must be respected. Equally, it is important to observe the practical mandates and negotiating spaces conferred on each of the Assembly’s committees and other subsidiary bodies. Effective coordination between the Assembly, the Security Council as well as the Economic and Social Council is essential. “The trend of the Security Council to invade the scope of action of the General Assembly must stop,” he stressed, encouraging the 15-member organ to present to the Assembly an exhaustive annual report with analytical information allowing to assess causes and implications of its decisions. “Guaranteeing the sustainability of shared trust of the international community in the United Nations and its legitimacy will depend on this body’s [the Assembly’s] ability to respond to the interests of the vast majority of its members,” he noted.
SURIYA CHINDAWONGSE (Thailand) said to continue the revitalization process, the Assembly needs to be more streamlined and synergized in its approach, its modus operandi and its mindset. The Assembly’s high-level week should be streamlined as the proliferation of mandated and non-mandated events has invariably reduced their significance and the focus of their impact. The scheduling challenges have caused great strains to all delegations, particularly smaller ones. “It is imperative to streamline the programme during high-level week, perhaps limiting high-level events to no more than one a day,” he said. The Assembly’s working methods must be improved. Transparency is critical in the plenary as well as the Main Committees, and it is an important safeguard of the multilateral system and particularly the United Nations. “Knowing who proposed what is as important as knowing who is paying for what,” he said. Another important improvement is sharing information in the United Nations system, whether at meetings, including the Assembly or through UN online platforms, he said.