Deputy Secretary-General remarks following the election of the President of the 65th Session of the General Assembly
Statements | Asha-Rose Migiro, Former Deputy Secretary-General
Mr. President-elect,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I congratulate His Excellency Mr. Joseph Deiss on his election as President of the 65th session of the General Assembly.
I bring with me warm greetings from Secretary-General BAN, who as you may know is currently in South Africa attending the Opening of the World Cup –a truly special day for Africa and the world.
Excellencies,
It is a pleasure to add my voice to all those paying tribute to the leadership of the President-elect. I, too, look forward to his stewardship of this forum.
I also take this opportunity to pay tribute to the ongoing leadership of the current President of the General Assembly, and to thank him for all his continuing hard work during this 64th session.
The President-elect will take up his responsibilities at a crucial time for the international community –a time of continued economic turmoil and uncertainty; a period in which we continue to try to mount an adequate response to climate change; an era of new and dangerous threats to international peace and security -- but also a time of tremendous opportunity for common progress.
The President-elect brings great experience to the job -- as a scholar, as a parliamentarian, and as a government minister. And he knows the immense value of the United Nations, having led Switzerland's accession campaign to the Organization.
His skill and wisdom will be needed across our agenda, throughout the 65th session. But as you know, we all face an early test: the MDG Summit in September. This meeting is a real opportunity to galvanize our work. We must do our utmost to uphold the commitments we have made to the world's people.
Mr. President-elect, the Secretary-General and I wish you every success, and we stand ready to support your work in any way possible.
Thank you.