President, Member States Spotlight New Oath of Office, Ethics Code as General Assembly Discusses Revitalizing Its Work
In a meeting on revitalizing the work of the General Assembly, representatives of the 193-member body this morning debated various ways to make the United Nations system more efficient, inclusive and accountable.
Peter Thomson, President of the current General Assembly session, said that for the last 25 years, Member States had sought to enhance its role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency. However, it was two texts adopted during recent Assembly sessions — resolution 69/321 on the process of selecting and appointing the next Secretary-General and 70/305 on establishment of an Oath of Office and a Code of Ethics on matters relating to the Assembly President’s Office — that had led to significant improvements in the Organization’s work.
“I am honoured to be the first President of the General Assembly to begin their term by undertaking to fulfil the commitments embedded in those documents,” he told Member States. In addition to the new Oath of Office and the Code of Ethics, Mr. Thomson said he had taken steps to ensure that all financial support to the Office would be channelled through the United Nations Trust Fund where all sources of funding were subject to public scrutiny.
Welcoming those developments was the representative of the European Union delegation who said that the last two Assembly resolutions on revitalization had been “ground-breaking”. They had paved the way for a more transparent Secretary-General selection process and contained elements to strengthen the Assembly’s institutional memory.
Other delegations also highlighted the need to fortify institutional memory, with the representative of Singapore saying revitalization was a work in progress and calling on States to build on recent initiatives and bolster financial and personnel support for the Office.
Croatia’s delegate said that just days ago, the Organization had witnessed a historic moment when the President of the Assembly took the Oath of Office. Also on that topic, Japan’s delegate called the new Oath of Office and Code of Ethics important achievements.
Elaborating further on the work of the General Assembly, several delegations emphasized the need to prioritize topics of discussion. The representative of the United States said that going forward, it was important to avoid wasteful overlap and that freeing the General Assembly’s agenda of outdated topics would allow it more time to address more relevant issues.
The delegate from the Russian Federation called for realistic initiatives to enhance effectiveness and the removal of items from the Assembly’s agenda that were no longer timely. It would also be constructive to unburden the high-level week from too many meetings.
As the Security Council was preparing its formal recommendation for the candidacy of the Secretary-General, Member States expressed support for the process while others said there would be a lot to learn going forward. The representative of Algeria, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, called on the Security Council to examine in the future the possibility of recommending more than one candidate, endorsed by Member States. He called on the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council to hold timely informal meetings to exchange views on the ongoing process of selecting and appointing the future Secretary-General.
Also today, the General Assembly took up a matter concerning the election of 34 members of the International Law Commission, requesting that the Secretary-General issue a consolidated list of candidates despite the submission of their names subsequent to the deadline.
Also speaking today were the representatives of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Malaysia and Indonesia.
The General Assembly will meet again on Monday, 10 October, at 10 a.m. to consider a report of the Economic and Social Council and follow-up to the outcome of the Millennium Summit focusing on development.
Statement by President of General Assembly
PETER THOMSON (Fiji), President of the General Assembly, said that since 1991, Member States had sought to enhance the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the Assembly. It was critical work that required a deep commitment to the ideas of the United Nations, and dedication to improve the Organization’s ability to fulfil its Charter mandate. Two resolutions adopted during the last several Assembly sessions had led to significant improvement in the Organization’s work, including on the process of selecting and appointing the next Secretary-General and on an Oath of Office and a Code of Ethics on matters relating to the Assembly President’s Office. “I am honoured to be the first President of the General Assembly to begin their term by undertaking to fulfil the commitments embedded in those documents,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of close cooperation and coordination between the Presidents of the General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council, as well as with the Secretary-General. The recent decision to move the timing of elections for non-permanent Council members to around six months prior to those members’ commencing their roles was already being commended. On the work of the Assembly, he said that he would continue to encourage incoming Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group to consider ways to strengthen integrity. That included exploring ways to preserve decorum and to improve the overall preparation for and effectiveness of the General Debate. Burdening Member States with four official high-level meetings in the course of the debate was something to be reconsidered.
On the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General, he said he looked forward to bringing the process to an orderly conclusion and to facilitating a smooth transition and a strong start for the next Secretary-General. Following the process’ finalization, there would be many lessons to be learned and considered by the Ad Hoc Working Group. Efforts to strengthen the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of the Office of the Assembly President were already enhancing the Office. In addition to the Oath of Office and the Code of Ethics, he said he had undertaken steps to ensure that all financial support to the Office would be channelled through the United Nations Trust Fund where all sources of funding were subject to public scrutiny.
Statements
GERTON VAN DEN AKKER, European Union delegation, said the last two Assembly resolutions on revitalization had been “ground-breaking”, with resolution 69/321 having paved the way for a more transparent Secretary-General selection process and resolution 70/305 having contained elements to strengthen the Assembly’s accountability, transparency and institutional memory. Noteworthy among the latter was an agreement on the release of financial disclosures on assumption and completion of the Assembly President’s duties, in line with the existing United Nations financial disclosure programme. Describing progress made in other areas, he cited the establishment of a Code of Ethics for the President and efforts to create equal opportunities for men and women and ensure a gender balance throughout the United Nations system and the President’s Office.
Effective multilateralism, with the United Nations at its core, remained critical, he said, adding that strengthening the Organization based on effective and sustainable funding — in line with real capacity to pay — remained a top priority. Revitalizing the Assembly was especially necessary in the context of the challenges faced by the world today. It was imperative that concrete steps were taken, at all levels, to spend more wisely, to deliver in new ways, and to ensure that the Organization lived within agreed budget levels. An unceasing effort to find new and creative ways to work was essential to achieve more effective delivery of mandates and sustainable use of resources. The emphasis of this session’s resolution should be on consolidating the work achieved so far and remaining committed to improving the Assembly’s efficiency and effectiveness. In that regard, enhancing the role of the General Committee to support the Assembly could be helpful and should be explored, and further streamlining the work of the main commissions and between the Assembly and the Security Council was still needed.
MOHAMMED BESSEDIK (Algeria), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said that a reinvigorated General Assembly in a more responsive environment, exerting fully its authority, would significantly contribute to strengthening the entire United Nations. The Movement stressed the importance of implementing General Assembly resolutions on a non-selective basis, including those related to the revitalization of its work that required a follow-up or further action. The United Nations was intergovernmental in nature and must consult all Member States on initiatives. Appointment of the Secretary-General must be transparent, democratic, and inclusive to all Member States.
The Movement also reiterated its call on the Security Council to examine in the future the possibility of recommending more than one candidate, endorsed by Member States. He called on the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council to hold timely informal meetings to exchange views on the ongoing process of selecting and appointing the future Secretary-General. The selection of the new Secretary-General would test the capacity of the United Nations to adapt to the standard required. The General Assembly should in “no way” be out of the screen nor just rubber-stamp the Security Council’s decisions. While recognizing the role of the Security Council, the Movement looked forward to a new form of cooperation on broader acceptance and efficiency.
KHIANE PHANSOURIVONG (Lao People’s Democratic Republic), speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said he was pleased with the implementation of resolution 69/321 on the selection and appointment of the next Secretary-General. In that regard, the holding of informal dialogues between the candidates and the General Assembly had given the candidates the opportunity to interact with Member States. Moving forward, resolution 70/305 should be implemented faithfully to ensure that the best possible candidate was selected for the post.
Stressing the need to reinvigorate and revitalize the United Nations, he noted that doing so would make the Organization more effective, transparent and inclusive. Further, Member States must work together to ensure that the General Assembly acted as the chief deliberate, policymaking and representative organ. ASEAN reaffirmed the importance of interaction between the United Nations and relevant forums and organizations, and it took note of the Assembly’s report on the strategic alignment of future sessions with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Among other things, the Association stood ready to support the strengthening of the institutional memory of the Office of the Assembly President.
SHARRINA ABDULLAH (Malaysia), expressing support for the updated annex to the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group, said it had allowed Member States to keep abreast of the implementation of previous resolutions on revitalization. Welcoming the Secretariat’s efforts, he stressed that the report provided a better understanding of reasons behind the lack of implementation. “Although the continuation of reviewing the inventory of resolutions on revitalization is a step in the right direction, the process should not stop there,” he said, underscoring the need to find ways to address underlying causes. He welcomed the General Assembly’s continuous support in enhancing the United Nations’ interactions with international, regional and subregional organizations such as ASEAN and the Non-Aligned Movement on various global issues.
PETR V. ILIICHEV (Russian Federation), expressing support for realistic initiatives to enhance the effectiveness of the United Nations, underscored the need to remove items from the Assembly’s agenda that were no longer timely and to unburden the high-level week from too many meetings. Recalling that Assembly resolution 69/321 had introduced a range of new elements for the selection of the Secretary-General, he said his delegation was prepared to engage in further constructive efforts to improve that procedure. However, it must not be forgotten that the main objective of that process was to find the most worthy individual for the post. In that regard, the Russian Federation stood against attempts to load the process with controversial elements, which could lead to delays. Referring to criticisms that the Security Council was impinging on the work of other United Nations organs, he said he shared such concerns, and that the Council should focus on country-based subjects and items on which it could make specific decisions. In that regard, he warned that open thematic debates in the Council gave the impression that the “General Assembly has moved into the Security Council”, and stressed that such discussions should remain in the Assembly.
VLADIMIR DROBNJAK (Croatia) stressed that “we have indeed proven what can be achieved when there is a willingness of all Member States to engage in a thorough, substantive debate” on the Assembly’s revitalization. Notable strides had been made in relation to the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and to increase the Assembly’s efficiency, transparency and accountability. Just days ago, the Organization had witnessed a historic moment when the President of the Assembly took the Oath of Office, he said, adding that the selection of the new Secretary-General had also been conducted in an open and inclusive manner for the first time. While appropriate, effective solutions had been found for some challenges, other issues still remained to be addressed. Even when it was not possible to reach consensus on certain elements, exchanges between Member States — including through the Ad Hoc Working Group on revitalization — still benefited the entire membership.
DAVID PRESSMAN (United States), said that the Security Council was this morning providing its formal recommendation on a candidate for the next Secretary-General and the United States believed that António Guterres would “take the helm” while inheriting some of the biggest global challenges. The United Nations needed a visionary and “we believe we have found one in Mr. Guterres,” he said. Mr. Guterres would give a voice to millions of displaced people worldwide. As the head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Guterres demonstrated his capacity to transform a bureaucracy and focus on results. The process of electing a new Secretary-General had been guided by relevant General Assembly resolutions. On the revitalization of work, he noted that over the last several years, the Ad Hoc Working Group had been called on to increase Assembly efficiency. Going forward, it was important to prioritize the agenda to avoid wasteful overlap. Freeing the General Assembly’s agenda of outdated topics would allow it more time to address more relevant issues. The United States looked forward to participating in the revitalization of the Assembly’s work.
BURHAN GAFOOR (Singapore), associating himself with ASEAN, emphasized that the Assembly’s revitalization was a work in progress. While strides had been made over the last two years, “we must not rest on our laurels”, and the process must continue. Listing several priority areas in that regard, he underscored the need to continue to strengthen the transparency, accountability and institutional memory of the President’s Office. States should build on recent initiatives and make further improvements, in particular by seeking new ways to support the Office through the allocation of greater financial and human resources. The process to make the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads more transparent must also continue, he said, stressing that the Assembly must have its say in that process in line with the United Nations Charter. Calling on the next Secretary-General to work to achieve an equal and fair distribution based on gender and geographical balance, while ensuring the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity, he warned that there should be no monopoly on senior United Nations posts by nationals of any State or group of States. Another priority was to ensure that the agendas of the Assembly — especially its Second and Third Committees — and those of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies worked coherently together to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
HIROSHI MINAMI (Japan), drawing attention to the new Oath of Office and Code of Ethics for the President of the General Assembly as important achievements, reiterated his delegation’s commitment to ensuring the transparency of that Office. Welcoming the Security Council’s recommendation of António Guterres for the post of Secretary-General, he cautioned that “we do not have the luxury of time” and that the Assembly must appoint the next Secretary-General as soon as possible. On the proposal to limit the Secretary-General to a single, non-renewable term, he said there was no reason to automatically preclude or deny the possibility of reappointment. While a seven-year single term was often proposed, that term was too long and did not match current global trends. The first three Secretaries-General had been appointed by vote in the General Assembly and the current practice of consensus appointment was worth revisiting. On revitalization efforts during the seventy-first session, his delegation would continue to submit and realize specific proposals. The rationalization of the Assembly’s work was another urgent challenge, and the biennialization or triennialization of the agendas should be considered.
INA KRISNAMURTHI (Indonesia), associating herself with ASEAN, fully supported strengthening the role and authority of the General Assembly and welcomed the Ad Hoc Working Group on revitalization. The General Assembly must continue to play a leading role in ensuring that the current and future selection and appointment processes for the Secretary-General become more open, participatory and transparent. It was also essential that the appointments of senior officials in the Secretariat and field clearly showed a merit-based and balanced geographic representation. During the seventieth session of the General Assembly, elections for non-permanent seats in the Security Council and Economic and Social Council were carried out six months in advance. Indonesia welcomed such improvements in working methods and hoped they would continue. The General Assembly had a special role to help address global challenges, particularly in the area of achieving sustainable development. However, the Assembly could only be as robust as the political and financial backing extended to it.