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31 August 2022<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
H.E. Ms. Elina Kalkku, Permanent Representative of Finland<\/p>\n
H.E Mr Csaba K\u0151r\u00f6si, PGA-elect for the 77th Session of the General Assembly\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/p>\n Distinguished colleagues,<\/p>\n Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to Ambassador Kalkku for organizing today\u2019s retreat. As the 11th<\/sup><\/span> of its kind, these retreats continue to underscore the importance of informal but very practical exchanges during the transition of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finland\u2019s ongoing support in this process has contributed immensely to the continuity of business, the strengthening of institutional memory and to making the Office of the President of the General Assembly more efficient.<\/p>\n I also take this opportunity to congratulate my dear brother, Ambassador K\u0151r\u00f6si as the incoming President for the 77th<\/sup><\/span> session of the General Assembly. I am grateful to the President-elect and his team for our successful cooperation since June of this year to ensure a smooth transition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,<\/p>\n I began my Presidency of Hope almost a year ago, resolved to contribute to global efforts for recovery from COVID19; rebuilding sustainably; responding to the needs of the planet; respecting the rights of all; and revitalizing the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When I initially envisioned my presidency, I had no way of knowing how much the world would change in such a short period of time, or just by how much our multilateral system would be challenged. By new variants of Covid, by new conflicts, by economic recessions, and by an accelerating climate crisis, among other profound issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Yet, we have persevered. Through collaboration and hard work, the General Assembly has adopted a total of 300<\/span> resolutions and more than 125 decisions<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There have been many milestone decisions such as addressing the state of global food insecurity; reaffirming human rights to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; adopting the “Space2030” Agenda to stress the role of space exploration as a driver of sustainable development; elevating pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, at all political levels in order to building resilient health systems; and establishing the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, among others.<\/p>\n Over the span of my Presidency, I have convened a total of 97<\/span> formal plenary meetings of the General Assembly, 15 High-level Meetings and a further 27 informal plenary meetings, hearings and thematic debates. In addition, 92 intergovernmental consultations and informal meetings were held as part of intergovernmental negotiation processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In line with relevant resolutions and decisions by the Assembly, 15 mandated intergovernmental negotiation processes on behalf of the President of the General Assembly took place, for which 27<\/span> co-facilitators or co-chairs were appointed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My friends, \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The General Assembly is a unique platform for the voiceless and powerless. It brings together countries of the world on an equal footing. The conviction that all voices should be heard has guided my presidency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As such, I have spared no effort to enhance the visibility of the work of the Assembly and to make it accessible to a wider audience. My tweets, podcast series, newsletters, and monthly reports aimed at increasing the visibility of the GA\u2019s work and bringing the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ closer to people. Those same sentiments underscored my decision to travel to countries where PGAs have never visited throughout the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ\u2019s 76 year history.<\/p>\n An extensive and detailed account of my five rays of hope for the 76th<\/sup><\/span> session will be discussed in my handover report<\/b>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As a message of legacy, I would like to focus on three main points.<\/p>\n First, we all saw the General Assembly come together in reaction to the aggression in Ukraine, through the convening of the 11th<\/sup><\/span> Emergency Special Session. Ending violence and suffering is now our priority in bridging the divides in today\u2019s polarized world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Second, we need to continuously build upon inclusive processes and consensus towards Our Common Agenda. For this process, <\/span>I have appointed co-facilitators for recommendations of the report that were broadly supported by Member States during the consultations. This relates to processes on modalities of the Summit of the Future, a Declaration on Future Generations, and an establishment of the United Nations Youth Office. I would encourage that the implementation of recommendations contained in the report continue in the upcoming sessions.<\/span><\/p>\n Third, it has been particularly encouraging to witness the growing network of gender champions and the support for full participation of youth in decision making. As a flagship of this Presidency, the HOPE Youth Fellowship Programme is one that I hold dear to my heart and I am grateful to see its continuation for the next session. I strongly believe that there is no better investment in the future of multilateralism than in investing in our youth. I would also like to thank Member States that have contributed to my Youth time capsule initiative which also aims to advance the participation of youth.<\/p>\n Excellencies, dear friends,<\/p>\n The achievements I speak of here would not have been possible without the support of my team. I was blessed to have a diverse and dynamic cabinet and I am thankful for the support of those Member States that seconded their staff members to my office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Looking ahead, I am happy to note that some of my team members will continue to serve in the 77th<\/sup><\/span> session. This is a healthy and progressive way of strengthening the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Without a doubt, the role of the General Assembly has been growing in importance and impact and this year it was additionally demonstrated by the adoption of the veto initiative. A stronger United Nations is necessary to build a resilient world. Efforts to make the United Nations efficient, effective and accountable must continue, together with efforts to reform the Security Council, revitalize the General Assembly and strengthen the Economic and Social Council.<\/span><\/p>\n My friends,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As we move into the 77th<\/sup><\/span> session of the General Assembly, let us do so with new mindsets, with renewed spirits and hope. We must be more than spectators of our own challenges. We must be initiators of action and enablers of solutions for the people that count on our actions for a better tomorrow.<\/p>\n Our journey under a Presidency of Hope has been fulfilled through the countless and tireless effort and support of so many, including the Permanent Missions to the United Nations, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretariat, Agencies and programmes, members of my Advisory Teams and Committees. Thank you all for your work, partnership and, most of all, friendship.<\/p>\n With those few remarks, I wish you all a productive interaction and offer my very best wishes to you, Mr President-elect for a successful 77th<\/sup><\/span> session of the General Assembly.<\/p>\n I thank you.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Union Club, New York<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":361,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Excellencies, colleagues,<\/p> I welcome you all to our second meeting and our first interaction following the resumed part of the session.<\/p> Before I begin, I would like to recognize the loss of our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Ms. Gail Farngalo.<\/p> A Liberian national, Gail was my Team Leader for Human Rights and was active on gender during both the 75th<\/sup> and 76th<\/sup> sessions. She leaves behind a legacy of achievements and a groundswell of respect and affection from across the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and diplomatic communities. Her presence is certainly felt here today.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> When I took on this Presidency of Hope, I pledged to make gender equality a priority area for the 76th<\/sup> session. I continue to look to the board for its wisdom and expertise, as I endeavour to fulfil that pledge.<\/p> In this regard, I have already benefited from the board\u2019s advice, from when we met on October 28th<\/sup> last year.<\/p> Acting on that advice, I committed to ensuring that all my five rays of hope, and all my major initiatives, are approached with a gender lens.<\/p> I made sure that the composition of my office is gender-balanced.<\/p> I have committed to participating only in panels that have equal gender representation.<\/p> Throughout my official interactions and travels, I have endeavoured to meet with women, including heads of states and governments, scientists, civil society representatives, and youth.<\/p> And I am proud to inform you that five young women have been recruited into the Fellowship for HOPE<\/em> that my office recently launched. The Fellowship as you are well aware is targeted at benefiting young diplomats from underrepresented countries, pursuing careers in diplomacy or public service.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> While recognizing that we have a long way to go in the battle for gender-equality, I am proud of what my team has been able to accomplish within the past few months.<\/p> Our work continues.<\/p> We will continue to raise our voices on issues disproportionately impacting women, such as domestic violence and work place harassment. We will continue to push the importance of gender-equal work spaces.<\/p> And we will continue to find new paths to empower young women with ambitious professional aspirations.<\/p> Now is not the time to rest on our laurels.<\/p> With the board\u2019s guidance and support, we must use the many opportunities over the coming months to further empower women and girls, and dismantle discriminatory practices against them.<\/p> There are several upcoming events that will provide us such opportunities. I look forward to the board\u2019s suggestions on how we can best utilize them.<\/p> As an example, the International Day of Women and Girls in science is fast approaching. We must recognize that women\u2019s contributions in science and technology have helped us cure diseases; discover new horizons in space; and develop technologies that have vastly improved our quality of life.<\/p> As we celebrate their achievements, we must also open pathways for young girls who aspire to follow in the footsteps of pioneers in science and technology.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Let us also reflect that the theme chosen by the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for this year is on \u201cachieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes\u201d.<\/p> As we strive to meet our obligations to the planet, let us recognize the important work done by women and girls at the forefront of the climate crisis, and whose humanitarian work in disaster-stricken areas has helped save lives and rebuild communities. We owe it to them to not only celebrate their work but to support them.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> Our programme of work for the months ahead has been circulated to members prior to the meeting, for consideration and feedback. Please note that the events we have planned are not exhaustive. I welcome further suggestions from the board on the content and format of future events and activities.<\/p> Colleagues,<\/p> We have made much progress within a short while. And with the board\u2019s support and guidance, I am sure that we can keep up this strong momentum.<\/p> I look forward to working alongside all of you to achieve our vision of a gender-equal world.<\/p> Thank you.<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[111],"tags":[550,556,553],"committee-meeting":[],"class_list":["post-271278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-speeches","tag-ga","tag-pga","tag-shahid","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n