Outgoing General Assembly president ‘bullish on the UN’, despite mounting crises

Speaking on the eve of the end of his mandate, Mr. Francis described his year at the helm of the UN’s main policy-making body as “an honour of lifetime”.

“This has been a truly eventful session,” he said.

Sustainable development focus

The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States, and the veteran diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago made ‘Peace, Prosperity, Progress and Sustainability’ the watchwords for his presidency.

It began with the adoption of a landmark political declaration at the SDG Summit last September, which the General Assembly endorsed in its first official action of the 78th session, “bringing urgency to our efforts to fulfil the SDGs”, he said.

Separate High-Level Meetings on three health-related issues – pandemic prevention, preparedness and response; boosting universal health coverage, and stamping out tuberculosis – also ended with political declarations.

“The High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, meanwhile, led to a resounding consensus on the need to reform the global financial architecture – with a view to matching our Sustainable Development ambitions for 2030 with the necessary resources for implementation,” he added.

Inaugural Sustainability Week

The General Assembly also commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December with an informal plenary meeting and award ceremony for recipients of the UN Human Rights Prize.

Mr. Francis convened the Assembly’s first-ever Sustainability Week, held in April, focused on issues such as tourism, transport, infrastructure and energy, while a flagship event on debt sustainability highlighted the concerns of countries in special situations. 

The Week was devoted to building momentum for the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States, held in May in Antigua and Barbuda, and the Summit of the Future, which begins next week in New York, and to catapulting global efforts to achieve sustainable development.

“Throughout, we were reminded of the central responsibility to build sustainable peace, the lynchpin of success on any other pillar of the UN’s work,” said Mr. Francis.

Emergency Special Session resumes

He added that following the horrifying escalation of violence in the Middle East, the General Assembly took bold action to resume its 10^th Emergency Session.

In line with the “Uniting for Peace” resolution, which the Assembly adopted in 1950, the body can convene an “emergency special session” within 24 hours should the Security Council “fail to exercise its primary responsibility” for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Learn more about Emergency Special Sessions in our explainer.

Middle East resolutions

Mr. Francis said the Assembly adopted three important resolutions in this regard.  

The first called for the protection of civilians and upholding legal and humanitarian obligations, while the second demanded an immediate ceasefire and that all parties comply with their international organizations, as well as the release of all hostages and ensuring humanitarian access.

The third resolution determined that the State of Palestine is qualified for UN membership and recommended that the Security Council consider the matter favourably.

 “These demands by the Assembly represent the will of the international community, and – as I have routinely said on several occasions – I reiterate these demands, forthrightly, here today. It is time for the violence in Gaza to stop,” he said.

Action on gender equality

Mr. Francis also expressed pride in his administration’s work on gender and youth.  This included re-establishing the Advisory Board on Gender Equality and frequent engagement with young people, whether at UN Headquarters or elsewhere in the world.

The outgoing Assembly president also pointed to another major achievement during his administration, namely raising greater awareness of the threat posed by sea-level rise.

He said Heads of State and Government will take up the issue later this month, “with a view to giving specific directions for future work.”

A singular organization

Journalists also asked Mr. Francis questions, including if he was optimistic or pessimistic about the UN’s ability to be a key player, given challenges such as the Middle East crisis, the war in Ukraine and the climate emergency.

“I’m optimistic about the future of the UN for a number of reasons,” he responded. “Because there is no other organization on this planet like the UN that has the capacity or the commitment to do what the UN does. It simply does not exist anywhere else.”

He highlighted the UN’s power to convene 193 countries who can discuss their problems and concerns “in a rational, civil manner” in the search for solutions. 

“We may not always win in the way we want to win, but the values and principles that the UN abides by, that of resolution of disputes by peaceful means through negotiation and conciliation, means and allows everyone to come here and express their views freely and openly on the important issues of our times,” he said.

“And so, I remain bullish – to use a term used in the financial markets – I’m bullish on the UN.”