General Assembly Extends Term of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Appoints France to Committee on Conferences
Members Also Pay Homage to Late Saudi King, Swedish Ambassador
The General Assembly today approved the Secretary-General’s proposal to extend the terms of office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, until the end of this year, given the heightened refugee problem.
Mr. Guterres had served in the position for five years from 15 June 2005 to 14 June 2010 before being re-elected for another term through 14 June 2015.
The representative of Turkey welcomed the decision, and while noting that his country had become the second largest country to host displaced persons, urged the international community to share the burden in assisting displaced persons.
The Republic of Korea’s delegate said that, as chair of the refugees agency’s Executive Committee, his country had made the proposal to extend the term of office for Mr. Guterres, taking into account the seriousness of the refugee situation and for the sake of smooth running of the Office.
Portugal’s delegate expressed support for his countryman’s leadership as High Commissioner.
In other business, the Assembly took note of the appointment of France as a member of the Committee on Conferences beginning today to 31 December 2017. Regarding the remaining two vacant seats from the Asia-Pacific States, the group was urged to submit their candidatures as soon as possible.
It was also informed that Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had made the assessment payments necessary to reduce their arrears below the amount that would trigger a ban on their voting rights under Article 19 of the Charter.
At the outset, the Assembly observed a minute of silence in tribute to the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, who passed away on 23 January.
Expressing his condolences, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he was “a wise and compassionate leader who guided Saudi Arabia’s development, worked to resolve peace and security challenges and address counter-terrorism, and devoted his energies to seeking reconciliation and understanding among people of different cultures”. He was also a champion against global hunger. During the 2008 food crisis, he arranged for the World Food Programme (WFP) to receive $500 million, the largest single donation ever made to the agency, and more recently, supported humanitarian assistance efforts in Syria and Iraq.
Abdallah Y. al-Mouallimi (Saudi Arabia) said he launched his initiatives for dialogue among followers of religions and cultures from this platform in the Assembly and had always advocated for the Organization’s Charter and principles.
A number of delegations offered their condolences, including the representatives of Morocco (on behalf of the African Group), Viet Nam (on behalf of Asian-Pacific States), Hungary (on behalf of Eastern European States), Haiti (on behalf of Latin American and Caribbean States), Austria (on behalf of Western European and other States), United States (host country), Jordan (on behalf of Arab States), Kuwait (on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation), and Qatar (on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council).
The Assembly also observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the late Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, Mårten Grunditz, who passed away on 27 January.
Mr. Ban expressed his gratitude for the ambassador’s advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities, dedication to helping to consolidate peace in Liberia and devotion to carrying on the legacy of Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld.
In a statement read on behalf of Sam Kutesa, President of the General Assembly, Mr. Grunditz was most notably acknowledged for his contribution as Chair of the Liberia Configuration of the Peacebuilding Commission.
Sweden’s delegate highlighted the late diplomat’s contribution as the Secretary-General of that country’s presidency of the European Union, as well as his contribution to the Sweden’s Mission to the United Nations.
Offering condolences were the representatives of Morocco (on behalf of the African Group), Viet Nam (on behalf of Asian-Pacific States), Hungary (on behalf of Eastern European States), Haiti (on behalf of Latin American and Caribbean States), Austria (on behalf of Western European and other States), and the United States (host country).
The Assembly will meet again at a date and time to be determined.