New General Assembly underscores ¡®necessity of multilateralism¡¯
The 75th session?of the?Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ General Assembly?opened?on Monday with a?moment?of silence?against?the unprecedented backdrop of the COVID pandemic, as the new?president?told delegates?that the coronavirus had driven home the value?of multilateralism?¡°to address our collective challenges¡±.
¡°The context in which we are working,?serves to remind us of the necessity of the multilateralism system¡±,?Volkan?Bozkir?told?delegates?sitting distanced apart in the gilded?hall?at New York Headquarters.
He?expressed?that it was a?deep?honour?to?be?hosting?the?session,?noting the importance of meeting?in person,?¡°so?long as health conditions allow¡±,?and affirmed his intension?to convene?face-to-face?meetings?as much as possible.
Heads of States converge online
Mr.?Bozkir?told the plenary?that next week?the General Debate would?be?addressed by?more Heads of State?than ever before.
He asserted that?two weeks?of?crucial High-level meetings,?¡°will guide our work for the?session¡±?and?expressed?confidence that their impact?¡°will not be compromised by the circumstances¡±.
A full agenda
The newly minted?Assembly?president?promised to do his ¡°utmost to support and lead¡±?the high-level meetings to commemorate the?75th anniversary of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ; the?; a??to promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons;?and the?Biodiversity Summit.
¡°During the 75th session, we will hold two General Assembly Special Sessions¡±,?he informed the plenary,?¡°one on?COVID-19?¨C the first Special Session convened to discuss a pandemic ¨C and the second against corruption¡±.
Mr.?Bozkir?also?set out a list of priorities for his tenure, which include reviewing the?Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,?commemorating the?25th anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development,?and?preparing for the?Fifth Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ?Conference on Least Developed Countries.
There will also be a??and targets of the???and?Oceans Conference, together with?revitalizing the work of the Assembly,?and?discussions over?Security Council?reform.
¡°I will also work with you to successfully implement the various mandates entrusted to me¡±, he assured.
A?critical year
After?warmly congratulating?Mr.?Bozkir,?Secretary-General?Ant¨®nio Guterres?offered?his full support and committed partnership.
¡°This year will be a critical one in the life of our Organization¡±, he?said.?¡°We must continue to respond to the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening health systems and supporting the development and equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines¡±.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ chief highlighted?the need to?build a strong recovery, based on the 2030 Agenda and the,? while continuing?the Assembly¡¯s?work across the full range of global challenges?ahead, including?peace and security,?disarmament,?human rights,?gender equality,?and sustainable development.
Three-quarters of a century
Marking?the?75th?anniversary?milestone,?Mr. Guterres observed that the world has high expectations of the?Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ as the main multilateral platform?in a rules-based international system.
¡°The nature of multilateralism is changing, and I have frequently pointed to the need for a more networked and inclusive multilateralism for the 21st century¡±, he?flagged, welcoming the?Assembly¡¯s?pledge?¡°to work towards consolidating trust and cohesion¡±?among Member States, major groups?of countries, and other?international organizations.
In closing, the Secretary-General said he looked?forward to working closely with?the Assembly president?during the 75th Session,?¡°to address our shared objectives¡±?and?offered?the cooperation and support of?¡°the entire Secretariat¡±.
¡°I wish you a very successful mandate¡±, he concluded.
¡®Great strides¡¯
Outgoing?President?Tijjani?Muhammad-Bande?finished off his extraordinary year in office,?having to steer the 74th?session through the beginning of the pandemic,?by?paying?tribute to?former Secretary-General?Javier P¨¦rez de?Cu¨¦lla,?and?Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza ¨C both of whom passed?away?in 2020.
He thanked?the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General for their ¡°unprecedented support¡± along with Secretariat staff,?without whom the ¡°Assembly could not have functioned well¡±.
¡°We started this session guided by the hopes and aspirations of the people we serve¡±, he said, noting that the Assembly has made ¡°great strides¡± in? galvanizing multilateral efforts to tackle?poverty eradication and zero hunger, quality education, climate action, and inclusion.
COVID impact
Mr.?Muhammad-Bande?pointed out that the first High-level Meeting of the Assembly focused on global health, before anyone knew that the year would be defined by a pandemic.
¡°The emergence of the novel corona virus (COVID-19) has shown that we have to continue to deepen multilateral cooperation in the health sector¡±,?including?scaling up national and global efforts?¡°to build a healthier world for all¡±, he asserted.
He?expressed?gratitude?that,?at the onset of the pandemic,?Member States adopted two decisions?that?allowed more than 70 resolutions?to be passed,?and?the?Chairs of the Main Committees for the 75th session?to be elected.
¡®Choose unity over discord¡¯
Underscoring?the importance of the?Assembly,?he recalled that?it was?¡°founded upon equality of voice and vote¡± and its resolutions?reflect the?¡°aspirations of humanity¡±.
¡°This is?a moment of reckoning for our shared planet and future¡a time for action, ambition, equality, inclusion, and partnership¡±, Mr.?Muhammad-Bande?said, stressing?the need to keep youth engaged in the Organization¡¯s?work.
It is only in doing so can the world be ¡°certain of peace, justice and development¡±, he endorsed.
¡°We must continue to thoughtfully define our actions and uphold our pledge to leave no one behind, even in the face of disagreement¡±, he said, bowing out of office gracefully.?¡°Indeed, in spite of disagreement, we must practice empathy and choose unity over discord¡±.

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