Secretary-General, Following Csaba Kőrösi of Hungary’s Election as General Assembly President, Welcomes New Leader’s Focus on Solidarity, Sustainability, Science

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the election of the President of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly, in New York today:

It is my privilege to be with you for the election of the President of the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly.

I want to take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to the current president, His Excellency Abdulla Shahid of Maldives, for his skilled stewardship of this body during truly unprecedented times.

We recognize his leadership across so many fronts — from his work to advance gender equality, to his focus on climate action and bringing the unique perspective of small island States.  I also commend him for his outstanding facilitation of the consultations on Our Common Agenda, which has paved the path for progress.  Thank you for these and many other ongoing contributions.

And of course, I wish to congratulate the President-elect, His Excellency Csaba Kőrösi of Hungary, on being chosen to lead the next session of the Assembly.

We face a world in peril.  From the war in Ukraine in all its dimensions to the deepening impacts of the climate crisis; from the COVID-19 pandemic to escalating humanitarian needs, hunger and poverty — the months ahead will test the multilateral system.

The General Assembly is central to everything we do.  The world looks to you to debate, to forge consensus and — most of all — to deliver solutions.  We can live up to the promise of a better, more peaceful world.  That is the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the driving force of Our Common Agenda.  The seventy-seventh session can be a moment of transformation — a time to recalibrate multilateralism and strengthen the foundations of global cooperation.

President-elect Kőrösi brings a broad perspective to his new post — a familiarity with the United Nations from his time as Permanent Representative, expertise in environmental sustainability and steadfast commitment to multilateral action.  I welcome the focus of his presidency on “Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science” — and I count on him to help us advance across the spectrum of our work.

On behalf of the entire United Nations system, I wish the President-elect every success as he assumes his duties in September.  We look forward to working with him in search of sustainable solutions, in pursuit of our shared goals, and in defence of our common values.  You can count on my full support.  Thank you.