A/64/PV.48 General Assembly

In paragraph 6 of the same report, the Fifth Committee also recommends that the General Assembly reappoint Mr. Simon Jiang (China) and Mr. Ivan Pictet (Switzerland) as ad hoc members of the Investments Committee for a one-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2010. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to reappoint Mr. Simon Jiang (China) and Mr. Ivan Pictet (Switzerland) as ad hoc members of the Investments Committee for a one-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2010? It was so decided. (d) Appointment of a member of the Board of Auditors Report of the Fifth Committee (A/64/527) The Acting President: In paragraph 4 of its report, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly appoint the Comptroller and Auditor-General of the National Audit Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a member of the Board of Auditors for a six-year term of office beginning on 1 July 2010. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to appoint the Comptroller and Auditor-General of the National Audit Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a member of the Board of Auditors for a six-year term of office beginning on 1 July 2010? It was so decided. (e) Appointment of members of the International Civil Service Commission Report of the Fifth Committee (A/64/528) The Acting President: In paragraph 7 of its report, the Fifth Committee recommends that the General Assembly appoint the following persons as members of the International Civil Service Commission for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2010: Mr. Minoru Endo (Japan), Ms. Lucretia Myers (United States of America), Mr. Gilberto Paranhos Velloso (Brazil), Mr. Wolfgang Stöckl (Germany) and Mr. Gian Luigi Valenza (Italy). May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to appoint those persons as members of the International Civil Service Commission for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2010? It was so decided.

The Fifth Committee also recommends in paragraph 7 of its report that the General Assembly designate Mr. Wolfgang Stöckl (Germany) as Vice-Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2010. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to designate Mr. Wolfgang Stöckl (Germany) as Vice- Chairman of the International Civil Service Commission for a four-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2010?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-items (a) to (e) of agenda item 112?

I have the honour of speaking on behalf of the European Union (EU). Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan align themselves with this statement. At the outset, the European Union would like to thank the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Ali Treki, for having convened this meeting on the revitalization of the General Assembly and for the statement that we have just heard. The EU would also like to express gratitude to former President of the General Assembly Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann for his efforts during the sixty-third session. The EU encourages Mr. Treki to pursue his engagement in that vital process. The European Union would also like to express gratitude to the two co-Chairs, Ambassador Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, former Permanent Representative of Ecuador, and Ambassador Mr. Morten Wetland, Permanent Representative of Norway, for the work accomplished within the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly during the sixty-third session. As it is well known, the EU supports effective multilateralism and the central role of the United Nations therein. Furthermore, the strengthening of the United Nations is a top priority for the European Union. The revitalization of the General Assembly is an integral part of the reform efforts of the United Nations. The EU continues to be committed to the revitalization of the General Assembly and supports efforts aimed at strengthening its role and authority in line with the United Nations Charter and other relevant documents. The European Union strongly believes that the revitalization of the General Assembly can be ensured only when it engages in issues of genuine concern to all Member States and to the international community as a whole. Doing so, it will live up to its role as one of the principle organs of the United Nations. At the same time, a number of practical steps could be undertaken that would make the proceedings of the General Assembly more effective and efficient. At this stage, we believe, concrete initiatives at the practical level are of critical importance to an overhaul of the General Assembly’s performance. In our efforts towards reform, we must be careful not to duplicate in the Ad Hoc Working Group discussions and negotiations already held or still ongoing in other forums. The European Union has heard the appeal of the President of the General Assembly as well as from all Member States for the need to reform the United Nations, including the General Assembly. The EU remains resolved to participate actively in a genuine dialogue with all United Nations Members to push those efforts forward. The European Union welcomes the adoption of resolution 63/309 on the revitalization of the General Assembly. We note with great appreciation the dynamic political will among Member States to engage constructively in the negotiation process in order to give substance to further work. The European Union looks forward to advancing our common efforts in the same spirit of consensus. We are counting on the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly to continue progress towards reform. In that regard, we would like to highlight the inventory chart of all relevant proposals on revitalization and the stages of their implementation, contained in the most recent report of the Ad Hoc Working Group (A/63/959). The chart provides a useful tool which facilitates the continued monitoring of the further implementation of our joint commitment. The EU is convinced that the best way forward is through the swift implementation of existing resolutions on the revitalization of the General Assembly, including the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document (resolution 60/1). As previously stated, the Secretary-General could, in his annual report on the work of the Organization, present precise information concerning the mandates adopted by the General Assembly during the year, including information on the status of their implementation. With regard to the working methods of the General Assembly, the EU looks forward to working with the full membership and the Secretariat in order to further streamline and modernize the agenda of the General Assembly. We also reiterate the importance of introducing measures to improve the quality and accuracy of General Assembly documents in the six official United Nations languages, and to ensure that they are systematically produced and translated using the texts and speeches as they were written or given in their original language. In that regard, we would like to request clarification from the Secretariat on the possible savings that could be made by eliminating distribution of the paper versions of United Nations documents to all permanent missions. The savings, we believe, could be used to improve the quality of those documents and their distribution to Member States. As regards the process of selection of the Secretary-General, which has also been under examination, the European Union attaches great importance to the full application of the relevant provisions of the Charter and respective resolutions of the General Assembly. The EU looks forward to working with the co-facilitators who have been appointed by the President of the General Assembly, Ms. Sanja Štiglic, Permanent Representative of Slovenia, and Mr. Jorge Argüello, Permanent Representative of Argentina. We assure them of our full cooperation and support. The European Union will engage in an active and pragmatic manner in the proceedings of the Ad Hoc Working Group with a view to contributing to the successful outcome of our efforts aimed at the collective objective of further revitalizing the General Assembly.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). At the outset, I would like to express the gratitude of NAM members to Ambassador María Fernanda Espinosa, former Permanent Representative of Ecuador, and Ambassador Morten Wetland, Permanent Representative of Norway, for their excellent work in co-chairing the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly during the sixty-third session. The Non-Aligned Movement reiterates the importance it accords to the revitalization of the General Assembly and the validity and relevance of its principled position with regard to this process. The Movement underlines that the revitalization process is of a political nature and is aimed mainly at strengthening the role of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations and its position in the wider United Nations system. It should therefore be conducted in an inclusive, transparent and efficient manner. The Non-Aligned Movement welcomed the holding of the United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development. Globalization has undoubtedly facilitated the rapid diffusion of the crisis and its numerous consequences in all regions of the world. A global and coordinated response is therefore required to address the effects and root causes of the crisis. The June Conference and its Outcome Document (resolution 63/303) established that a reinvigorated General Assembly is the most appropriate plenary forum to tackle such global issues. The Movement also notes with satisfaction the decisive and timely adoption of resolution 63/301, on the situation in Honduras, and of resolution 64/10, on the Goldstone report (A/HRC/12/48), as a manifestation of the extent to which the General Assembly is attuned to events of international relevance and as an example of the Assembly’s role in maintaining international peace and security. The Non-Aligned Movement emphasizes the need for Member States to fully respect the functions and powers of each principal organ of the United Nations, in particular the General Assembly, and to maintain the balance among those organs within their respective Charter-based functions and powers. In this regard, the Security Council must fully observe all Charter provisions and General Assembly resolutions that clarify the Assembly’s relationship with the Council and other principal organs. The Non-Aligned Movement expresses again its concern, which it has raised at previous sessions, with regard to the continual attempts of the Security Council to encroach on the powers and prerogatives of the General Assembly. Article 24 of the Charter does not provide the Security Council with the competence to address issues which fall within the functions and powers of the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council. The General Assembly, as the policymaking organ of the Organization, has the authority and essential role in designing the framework, setting the principles and identifying the objectives for the wider United Nations system and its numerous organs, agencies and programmes. The Non-Aligned Movement, while expressing its readiness to continue to support all ongoing efforts to strengthen the central role and authority of the Assembly, wishes to state that it will oppose any approach that seeks to undermine or minimize the achievements of the General Assembly, diminish its current role and functioning, or raise questions about its relevance and credibility. The Non-Aligned Movement welcomes the adoption of resolution 63/309 in September, by which the General Assembly, inter alia, re-established the Ad Hoc Working Group to discuss during the sixty- fourth session issues related to the revitalization of the General Assembly and to assess, in particular, the status of implementation of its previous resolutions on this matter. In this regard, while it reiterates the validity and relevance of all its positions, the Movement reaffirms its willingness to contribute effectively and constructively to the activities of the Working Group to identify ways and means to strengthen the role and authority of the General Assembly. A thorough evaluation of the status of implementation of General Assembly resolutions and a clear identification of the causes underlying any lack of implementation are of the utmost importance in order to progressively eliminate the constraints that still prevent the process of revitalizing the General Assembly from achieving its full potential. The Movement emphasizes the importance of ensuring the effectiveness of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, including through the strengthening of its institutional memory, in particular the strengthening of permanent staff of that Office. While we note with appreciation the progress already achieved in this regard, we are of the view that particular effort should be devoted to implementing the resolutions that already exist on this matter, as well as to identifying, during the upcoming discussions of the Working Group, ways and means to pursue this objective progressively and with determination. I should like to express the gratitude and appreciation of the Non-Aligned Movement to the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, for his determination to enhance the authority of this body, and to reaffirm our conviction that, during his tenure and under his presidency, the issue of the revitalization of the General Assembly will be handled successfully and genuine progress will be achieved. The Non-Aligned Movement expresses its concern over the lack of transparency and inclusiveness that characterized the nomination and election of the Secretary-General. It has become clear that the Security Council, and its permanent members in particular, have assumed over-broad powers over the years on this matter. The lengthy discussions of this issue during the sixty-third session and the various views expressed show the growing concern of the whole membership towards this matter and with regard to its future improvement. The Movement, recalling the role of the principal organs as enshrined in Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations, stresses the need for adaptation of the procedure laid out by resolution 11 (I) of January 1946. That 60 year-old resolution has been proven to fall short in addressing the growing concern of the members of the General Assembly and their willingness to create conditions necessary for this organ to fully undertake its responsibility in the process of the nomination and election of the Secretary-General. In this regard, the President of the General Assembly may consult with Member States to identify potential candidates endorsed by a Member State and, upon informing all Member States of the results, forward these results to the Security Council. A formal presentation before the General Assembly of candidatures for the position of Secretary-General can be envisaged, since it will allow effective interaction among Member States in the General Assembly and the Security Council. The President of the General Assembly could, during the process of selection, convene a meeting of the General Assembly for an exchange of views and dialogue with all candidates, as is the procedure within many other important international organizations. With regard to the proposal for the establishment of a new balloting system, the Non-Aligned Movement reiterates the necessary cautiousness it has already expressed before the Working Group regarding the confidentiality and the integrity of the voting process. The various proposals made on the use of optical scanners have not convinced members of the Non-Aligned Movement that the confidentiality of the vote is enhanced or even preserved. Furthermore, the Capital Master Plan should not be used as a justification to engage in the actual installation of any kind of new balloting system until the membership has had the opportunity to exhaust the discussion on the matter. The Non-Aligned Movement reaffirms that a reinvigorated General Assembly, in a more responsive environment and fully exercising its role and authority, would significantly contribute to the strengthening of the wider United Nations system and be capable of enhancing international good governance and multilateralism. I should like to end by congratulating the Permanent Representatives of Slovenia and Argentina on their appointments by the President of the General Assembly as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly. We look forward to working with them constructively.

It is an honour for my delegation to participate on behalf of the Rio Group in this year’s debate on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. The Rio Group reiterates its firm commitment to the process of revitalizing the General Assembly and believes that resolution 63/309, adopted by consensus on 14 September, incorporates the main concerns expressed by the various groups and delegations in the framework of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly. The resolution and the report of the Working Group (A/63/959), diligently coordinated by the Ambassadors of Ecuador and Norway, reflect the commitment of the membership and the Secretariat to promoting the process of revitalizing the Organization’s most representative organ. Nevertheless, despite the progress made — especially with regard to procedural matters — the Rio Group believes that efforts should be redoubled in the implementation of mandates pertaining to the role of the General Assembly, especially in the following five areas, which the Group believes are crucial to revitalization efforts. First, with regard to the role and responsibility of the General Assembly in the process of selecting the Secretary-General, it is a fact that the authority for this important decision lies mainly with the Security Council. The General Assembly only has a de facto role in consenting to the decision. The Rio Group therefore believes that a transparent and inclusive selection process should be put in place whereby the General Assembly could play a more relevant role in line with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and of the resolutions that have been adopted by the Assembly itself on this issue. Secondly, with regard to strengthening the authority of the General Assembly, the Rio Group believes that it is critical that the General Assembly assume a more proactive role in addressing issues pertaining to international peace and security and the new peacebuilding architecture. Similarly, the Assembly should continue to advance discussion on issues of universal interest. That should serve to strengthen its authority, especially in connection with matters that require an adequate and timely response from the Organization. Thirdly, with regard to strengthening the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Rio Group supports the efforts under way to continue to strengthen that Office in institutional terms. The Group also acknowledges the progress that has been made in that regard in recent years. However, the Group believes that it is important to continue to consider measures and procedures that will make it possible to optimize the use of the existing human and financial resources of the Office of the President. Fourthly, with regard to improving working methods, when it comes to operational matters revitalization is more likely to be approached in a more immediate way, for it directly involves Member States. Streamlining the items on the agenda of the General Assembly is one way to better parcel out the Assembly’s workload — both in the plenary and in the Main Committees — while still taking its political implications into consideration. That goal can be achieved if the membership as a whole decides to do so. It is up to us, the Member States, to demonstrate our readiness to adequately reduce the number of items addressed by the Assembly. Among the most feasible ways to do so is to biennialize or triennialize the consideration of items. That, too, is dependent upon a decision of the membership as a whole. Fifthly, with regard to the voting system in the United Nations, the General Assembly’s manual voting system must function more efficiently so as to expedite the counting process and ensure the credibility, reliability and confidentiality of the voting process. The Rio Group wishes once again to reiterate its full readiness to continue to work constructively at this session to find practical and realistic approaches leading to a genuine strengthening of the supreme universal forum. Lastly, on behalf of the Rio Group, allow me to express our gratitude to Ambassador Ali Treki for his efforts to continue to advance work on this important issue. Similarly, I would like to express the Group’s gratitude to Mr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session, for the commitment he demonstrated during his presidency in connection with efforts aimed at revitalizing the Assembly. I should also like to assure the new co-facilitators, the Ambassadors of Slovenia and Argentina, of the Group’s cooperation. We shall continue to work with them to achieve results in our work.

At the outset, I would like to express to Ambassador Treki Egypt’s gratitude for making the issue of the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly one of the main priorities of his presidency during the Assembly’s sixty-fourth session. I also thank him for his commitment and determination to enhance the Assembly’s role and authority, including through the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the co-facilitators of the Ad Hoc Working Group — Ms. María Espinoza, former Permanent Representative of Ecuador, and Mr. Morten Wetland, Permanent Representative of Norway — for their excellent work and dedication in co-chairing the Working Group during the sixty-third session. I should also like to pledge our full support to the new co-facilitators for the sixty-fourth session — Ms. Sanja Štiglic, Permanent Representative of Slovenia, and Mr. Jorge Argüello, Permanent Representative of Argentina — in promoting the process of revitalizing the work of the General Assembly. Egypt associates itself with the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Despite the importance of the process of revitalizing the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative principal organ of the Organization, no concrete results have been achieved so far. That is due mainly to the lack of political will to ensure that the General Assembly plays its leading role in accordance with the delicate balance among all principal organs established by the Charter. As the relationship between the Security Council and the General Assembly is already defined in the Charter, Egypt is convinced that the problem concerning the relation between those two principal organs lies in the application by both of them — the Council and the Assembly — of their respective mandates. On the one hand, the Security Council continues to encroach on the mandate of the General Assembly. It does not bring any matter to the attention of the General Assembly and, in most cases, it acts in a manner that ignores the will and views of the countries concerned and the general membership of the United Nations. On the other hand, the General Assembly does not exercise in a satisfactory manner its responsibilities enshrined in the Charter, particularly concerning its relations with the Security Council and the other principal organs. Egypt therefore believes that we should focus on taking concrete steps. We should continue to make the utmost effort while focusing on the honest implementation of the proposals that were previously adopted in resolutions of the General Assembly, as well as on new proposals to be presented during this session aimed at achieving the revitalization of the General Assembly and at preventing the Security Council from encroaching on its mandates. In this regard, allow me to highlight some additional important points, which were reflected in the final document adopted by the fifteenth Non-Aligned Movement Summit, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in July 2009, and some other points we deem necessary for the success of the process of revitalizing the General Assembly. First, the General Assembly should take appropriate and concrete measures, in accordance with the United Nations Charter, in instances wherein the Security Council fails to address cases involving genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes or breaches of ceasefire between belligerent parties, in fulfilment of its primary responsibility. Moreover, the Assembly should identify measures to simplify the Uniting for Peace process to enable swifter and more urgent action by the Assembly, in recognition of its role on issues relating to international peace and security, as set out in the Charter. Second, the General Assembly should maintain its role and mandate in setting the priorities of the United Nations in considering all budgetary and administrative issues and reforms, including its absolute authority to allocate and reallocate financial and human resources and in the appointment of senior officials of the Secretariat in accordance with the Charter and the relevant Assembly resolutions. In this regard, prerogatives of the Assembly, as the chief oversight organ of the Organization, including on management and procurement for peacekeeping operations, must be respected. Third, the General Assembly should actively undertake its role in the maintenance of international peace and security, as stipulated in Articles 10 to 14 and Article 35 of the United Nations Charter, as well as using, where appropriate, the procedures set forth in rules 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the rules of procedure of the Assembly, which enable swift and urgent action by the Assembly, bearing in mind that the Security Council has the primary — but not the only — responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. The adoption of resolution 63/301 on the situation in Honduras and of resolution 64/10 on the follow-up to the report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict are clear illustrations of the ability of the Assembly to take action on issues that fall within the purview of the maintenance of international peace and security. This trend by the Assembly should be enhanced, further solidified and even developed in all similar cases relating to the maintenance of peace and security, particularly in cases where the Security Council has failed in achieving peace and security, such as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. We encourage the President of the Assembly to hold many thematic debates on these issues and on other issues of concern to the larger membership of the Organization with a view to adopting the necessary resolutions. Fourth, to achieve that, we should ensure the effectiveness of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, which is a matter of great importance in the process of enhancing the role and authority of the Assembly, in particular through strengthening the institutional memory of the Office, which currently relies on voluntary contributions; this affects the ability of developing countries to take an active part in the development of such capabilities. Fifth, we stress that the General Assembly remains the principal organ that reviews the work of its subsidiary organs, including the Human Rights Council, which is and shall remain a subsidiary body of the Assembly. Moreover, we encourage the Assembly to engage actively with the Peacebuilding Commission as a subsidiary body of the Assembly and call for more periodic briefings to the Assembly by the Chairs of the Peacebuilding Commission and its country-specific configurations. Sixth, the role undertaken by the Security Council and its permanent members in the selection process of the Secretary-General encroaches on the role of the General Assembly in this regard. Therefore, it is necessary to revitalize the role of the Assembly, in accordance with Article 97 of the Charter and resolutions 51/241 and 60/286 concerning this matter. In this context, we propose establishing a mechanism that allows the President of the Assembly to consult with Member States to identify potential candidates endorsed by Member States, inform all Member States of the results and forward those results to the Security Council. Formal presentation of candidatures for the position of Secretary-General should be held in a manner that allows for interaction and exchange of views with Member States. Seventh, Egypt supports developing the technology of voting and balloting systems applied in the General Assembly, as long as this does not affect the reliability and confidentiality of those systems. Nevertheless, Egypt is not in favour of the proposals presented during the sixty-third session of the Assembly to establish a new balloting system as a mean of expediting the counting of votes cast by secret ballot during elections. We believe that these proposals affect the credibility, reliability and confidentiality of the current balloting system. Thus, we believe that the current system concerning voting and balloting in the Assembly should be maintained until another credible system meets with acceptance by Member States. Eighth, there should be a follow-up to the effective implementation of the resolutions adopted by the General Assembly on the revitalization process. The Secretary-General should be requested to submit to the Assembly an analytical status report with a factual chart on the implementation of all resolutions that have been adopted under this agenda item in all previous years — and we have adopted many resolutions on this by consensus. In conclusion, the best way to enhance multilateralism is to have a revitalized General Assembly through identifying further ways to enhance its role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency, building on previous resolutions and on the progress made during previous sessions. As the credibility of the United Nations and its capacity to fulfil its responsibilities are increasingly linked to the ability of the Assembly to exercise its institutional prerogatives, we call on all members to show the political will necessary to support international good governance based on equality, transparency and accountability.

The Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly has lately achieved some tangible results. Last year, we were able to work out the chart of General Assembly resolutions on revitalization (A/63/959, annex), which was used as the basis for analysing the reasons for the lack of implementation of previously adopted resolutions on Assembly revitalization. Recently, we adopted the first substantive resolution on General Assembly revitalization in years. Resolution 63/309 covers most of the themes we discussed and incorporates the conclusions at which we arrived. We would like to commend the goodwill of Member States and political groups, in particular the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the European Union, which made these results possible. Belarus associates itself with the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Algeria on behalf of the NAM. The Belarusian delegation believes that the atmosphere in which the Ad Hoc Working Group on General Assembly revitalization worked has been significantly improved and, in general, will contribute to the restoration of trust between the Assembly and the Security Council. We also believe that, strategically, the steps we took together towards strengthening the role of the Assembly as the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations are visible evidence of the effective interaction that has been intensified between the recognized centres of world economic and political power in order to stabilize the international situation. Having achieved so much, we cannot be allowed to lose momentum. The Belarusian delegation will strive for further good practical results on General Assembly revitalization during this session, and we call upon our partners to do the same. We commend the interest and engagement shown by the delegations of the five permanent members of the Security Council (P-5) in the most recent deliberations in the framework of the Ad Hoc Working Group. We hope that the P-5 members will further regard the revitalization process as an indispensable way of ensuring the viability and stable good health of the whole United Nations system. The Belarusian delegation would like to share its vision on the possible ways to proceed. We believe that the following key ideas should be developed in the course of the Assembly’s current session. First, one of the best ways to revitalize the Assembly would be for it to facilitate consideration of the most pressing and topical concerns of relevance to all Member States, as well as to the international community as a whole. Among the pressing issues to be comprehensively considered in the Assembly the Belarusian delegation would include the Kyoto and Copenhagen arrangements; access for developing countries and countries with economies in transition to technologies for new and renewable sources of energy; improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in human beings; and the interests of middle-income countries. Secondly, the thematic debates, as an advanced format of discussion in the Assembly on issues of relevance to the international community and of concern and interest to the United Nations, could be more results-oriented. We reiterate our opinion that those debates could lead to the adoption of a resolution or the establishment of an open-ended group on the issue discussed, and a list of proposals made by Member States during the debates could be drafted. Thirdly, public visibility of the work of the General Assembly should be improved by increasing cooperation with major media outlets and using modern media techniques. In this regard once again we note with great interest the proposals made by the representative of the United Nations Correspondents Association and reflected in the latest report of the Ad Hoc Working Group (A/63/959), such as quick delivery of statements to the press; easy access for the media to Assembly meetings; indication of the speakers’ names and titles during video and TV transmissions of meetings; and enhancing the capacity and institutional memory of the Assembly’s Spokesperson section. Visibility of the General Assembly could also be increased through more interaction with civil society or through travel activities by its President and Vice- Presidents. Fourthly, the commitment to continuing our consideration at the current session of the Assembly’s role in the selection and appointment of the Secretary- General should not be a stumbling block to our work but rather an opportunity to listen carefully to the arguments of other sides, absorb them and thoroughly work out the decisions we would support. Fifthly, the modernization of the voting system in the Assembly, including the introduction of optical disc scanners, is an important subject that could lead to a specific result, provided that issues of security and confidentiality can be duly taken into account. The Assembly cannot ignore the advantages of global technological progress. Last but not least, we think it would be useful to continue to analyse the reasons for the lack of implementation of previous resolutions on the revitalization of the Assembly. In conclusion, the Belarusian delegation would like to note that in the charts of General Assembly resolutions on revitalization we frequently see the following comment on the provisions of previously adopted resolutions: “Ongoing provision. Provision does not contain request for specific action“. Today, we believe that the time has come for specific, joint and efficient actions to revitalize the United Nations General Assembly.

On behalf of the Vietnamese delegation, I would like to thank the President for convening today’s meeting to discuss a subject dear to the heart of the broad membership of the General Assembly. I would also like to express my gratitude to Ambassador Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador and Ambassador Morten Wetland of Norway for their excellent co-chairmanship of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly during the sixty-third session. My delegation aligns itself with the statement made earlier by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Eighteen years after its first appearance on the agenda of the General Assembly, the issue of the revitalization of the Assembly has emerged as one of the most important subjects in the process of reform of the United Nations in general and the General Assembly in particular. My delegation shares the view that revitalization is not an objective per se but a means of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assembly’s work with a view to ultimately strengthening its role as the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations, in an effort to respond properly to the rising challenges facing the international community. We therefore acknowledge the Ad Hoc Working Group for its efforts in producing the report (A/63/959) of 10 September 2009, which contains specific and useful recommendations, including in particular the draft resolution that the Assembly adopted on 14 September 2009 (resolution 63/309). That resolution — the seventeenth on this issue since the first was adopted in 1991 — is noteworthy for its greater clarity, straightforwardness and comprehensiveness, including the decision to establish, at the sixty-fourth session, an ad hoc working group on revitalization and to define concrete measures to enhance the role and authority of the General Assembly within the entire United Nations system. In that connection, my delegation wishes to highlight the following four points. First, in today’s world, interdependence among nations has grown to a point where no single nation, however big and powerful, can solve all its problems on its own. The global economic and financial crisis that has been raging all over the globe is evidence of that. It was therefore opportune and encouraging that the Assembly convened the World Summit on the Economic and Financial Crisis in June and the World Summit on Climate Change in September, and, also in June, adopted resolution 63/301 on the coup d’état in Honduras. Those events help prove that the General Assembly is the most appropriate forum in which all global stakeholders can come together, discuss and make decisions on effective and sustainable solutions to issues of the utmost importance to the international community. This is the judicious direction. In the same vein, we support the Assembly’s ongoing discussions of topical global issues of international relevance — particularly those in the fields of development, peace and security, humanitarian affairs and human rights — on the basis of consultations with Member States and taking into full account the interests and concerns of the broad membership, especially developing countries. Secondly, full implementation of all General Assembly resolutions remains essential to the process of the Assembly’s revitalization. My delegation’s view is that it is useful and legitimate to study the factual chart developed by the Ad Hoc Working Group during the sixty-second session on the implementation of relevant resolutions and to use it as a productive basis for thorough discussion and honest assessment of this vital aspect of the work required to enhance the Assembly’s role and authority. Thirdly, the strengthening of the Office of the President of the General Assembly is yet another issue key to the revitalization of the Assembly’s work. To that end, we believe it is necessary to ensure both the sufficient provision and the efficient use of financial and human resources for that Office in order to improve its substantive work. We consider it advisable to study seriously the suggestions of a number of delegations concerning the strengthening of the Office’s institutional memory, as well as a best- practices paper that an incumbent President could draft for his or her successor so as to facilitate the transition process. Fourthly, the process of revitalization of the General Assembly would be gravely deficient without improvement of the cooperation and coordination between the Assembly and other principal organs of the United Nations and other international institutions and civil society, as well as among the Main Committees and the Assembly’s subsidiary bodies. We welcome the Assembly’s decision to continue its consideration of the revitalization of its role in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General, for we believe that will contribute positively to improving coordination among the Assembly, the Security Council and the Secretary-General. That is why in July last year, when Viet Nam held the presidency of the Council, the Vietnamese delegation launched consultations with Member States on the draft annual report of the Security Council to the General Assembly. Likewise, we support regular briefings of the Assembly by the Secretary-General and periodic meetings between the Assembly President and the Presidents of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council. More initiatives and measures should also be explored to further improve the interaction among different organs of the United Nations. We welcome the appointment of Ambassador Sanja Štiglic of Slovenia and Ambassador Jorge Argüello of Argentina as Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group during the sixty-fourth session. We fully concur with the comments of the Assembly President at the 13th meeting, on the conclusion of the general debate at the sixty-fourth session, that the best way to enhance multilateralism is to have a revitalized General Assembly as the main deliberative, policymaking and decision-making organ of the United Nations. Let me reiterate Viet Nam’s firm commitment to participate actively and constructively in the work on the revitalization of the General Assembly in the way forward towards that goal.

Let me begin by commending the excellent work done by the two Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly and the Group’s report (A/63/959). We also thank them for the updated inventory/chart on revitalization annexed to the report, which is a valuable tool for monitoring the progress in the Assembly’s effectiveness. Indonesia associates itself with the statement made by the delegation of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. We must all work together to strengthen the General Assembly’s role as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative United Nations organ. With membership from all United Nations States and an encompassing mandate, the Assembly is uniquely poised to comprehensively review and take policy actions on vital issues of concern to the world. Indonesia always supports the efforts to revitalize the Assembly and to enhance its global status in representing peoples’ wishes. We will continue to work actively to that end. I would like to share some of our thoughts on today’s critical agenda item. First, it is not because of any shortage of United Nations resolutions and decisions that we continue to work towards revitalization of the Assembly after 16 years of debate on United Nations reform. It is the slow implementation of, or lack of implementation of, the resolutions already adopted on the issue that is fundamentally responsible for the Assembly not being able to discharge its Charter role fully. Indeed, greater political will on the part of all remains central to advancing our collective efforts to energize the Assembly. In that regard, we were encouraged by the forward-looking work by the Ad Hoc Working Group during the sixty-third session, including at its three thematic meetings on the crucial issues. We hope that the Group will build on the many points of convergence in the sixty-fourth session and that where there are differences there will be further efforts to bridge them. Secondly, the role of the Office of the President of the General Assembly is undoubtedly very important, and it should be supported fully by the United Nations system. We support the strengthening of the institutional memory and functioning of the Office of the President from separate and dedicated resources. We also share the view that the President should make a comprehensive and analytical report at the end of his or her tenure, providing assessments, particularly where the decisions and actions of the Assembly could not be carried out. That would be useful as an exercise in best practices and lessons learned, as well as for enhancing cohesion among Member States. The annual report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization could also include the status of resolutions directly affecting the work of the United Nations. Thirdly, the General Assembly, to demonstrate that is in sync with the aspirations of the international community and able to take necessary measures, must show leadership by taking timely policy initiatives on issues of common concern and developing the required norms. In this regard Indonesia lauds the initiative shown in convening in June the Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development, and its Outcome (resolution 63/303, annex). The Assembly should continue to examine the major political, social and economic issues in an effective manner. It should also play its due role in the area of international peace and security in accordance with the Charter. It must increase its involvement in the United Nations peace architecture and further support efforts for effective and partnership-based peacekeeping and peacebuilding both at Headquarters and in the field. Fourthly, to tackle the complex and multidimensional global challenges of the twenty-first century, it is vital that the relations among the principal United Nations organs be balanced and that there be cooperation and collaboration on the pertinent issues. While they must work within their respective mandates, they must continue to explore ways to build synergies for targeted purposes. Here we need to be mindful of the important and sensitive linkages between the issue of the implementation of General Assembly resolutions and the ongoing processes of mandate review and Security Council reform. While some relevant topics will invariably be considered by the Ad Hoc Working Group, care should be taken that its examination does not inadvertently interfere with the specific work carried out in the other concerned United Nations intergovernmental forums. Fifthly, with respect to the appointment of the Secretary-General, we recognize that the Assembly has an instrumental role in making the process of selection transparent, inclusive and open for consultation by the wider membership. While the existing selection process has produced distinguished and commendable Secretaries-General, that does not mean that the process itself is perfect. There is always room for improvement in order to fulfil democratic principles. Without prejudice to Article 97 of the Charter, we share the views on the need for substantive interaction between the candidates and the Assembly. Finally, the global visibility and outreach capacity of the General Assembly are essential for enhancing its influence on international affairs. The required support from the Committee on Information and the Department of Public Information in this respect is critical. Creating ownership of the work of the United Nations among the various global stakeholders is very important for the success of the objectives of the Organization. Therefore, along with greater dissemination and focused communication strategies, meaningful interaction with civil society about the issues under consideration by the Assembly could contribute to the robust execution of the Assembly’s role.

Our delegation aligns itself with the statement delivered by the Permanent Representative of Algeria in his capacity as coordinator of the Non-Aligned Movement’s Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly. South Africa also joins other delegations in conveying our sincere gratitude to the Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly in the sixty-third session, Ambassador María Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador and Ambassador Morten Wetland of Norway. We congratulate them on a job well done. The General Assembly is the only body of the United Nations in which all 192 Members enjoy membership and in which all the 192 take decisions as a collective and as equals. Unfortunately, reality does not always reflect this body’s importance. Too often the Assembly is marginalized through the encroachment of its mandate by other United Nations bodies, most notably the Security Council. We reiterate that the General Assembly is the main deliberative and policymaking body of the United Nations. South Africa therefore unequivocally supports the African position, as reflected in the Ezulwini Consensus of 2005, that calls for the General Assembly to be “strengthened for it to play its proper role as the most representative and democratic body within the United Nations System and as the parliament of the world”. My delegation will continue to actively participate in the deliberations of the Ad Hoc Working Group, with the aim of making the General Assembly more transparent and responsive. As parliament of the world, the Assembly must be able to respond and address issues of concern that affect the whole world. In this regard, my delegation acknowledges with satisfaction the Assembly’s thematic discussions in its previous session, most notably at the high-level meeting on the world economic crisis held in June 2009. We have also noted that the Assembly took action on matters relating to international peace and security, as mandated by the Charter, at its sixty-third session; when it resumed its tenth emergency special session, pursuant to “Uniting for Peace” (resolution 377 (V)), to discuss the grave developments in Gaza; and when it took swift action to address the unconstitutional change of government in Honduras. In spite of those developments, we firmly hold the opinion that measures should be discussed and adopted to enhance the effectiveness of the General Assembly, especially regarding its role in maintaining international peace and security. South Africa does not wish to see the General Assembly usurp the role of the Security Council, but we do advocate the need to improve on the balance of competence between the Assembly and the Council, as the Ezulwini Consensus states. That is especially true with regard to the election of the Secretary-General of the Organization. We agree with the statement by the Non-Aligned Movement that the procedure to elect the Secretary-General established by resolution 11 (I) of 1946 should be reviewed, especially its paragraph 4 (d), which provides that the Security Council should present the General Assembly with one candidate, that “debate on the nomination … should be avoided”, and that the nomination and appointment of the Secretary-General should be discussed at private meetings. These aspects are not characteristic of a democratically functioning organization. In fact, resolution 51/241 provides a slightly more transparent framework for the selection of the Secretary-General, and that practice should be enhanced and developed further. My delegation is therefore pleased that resolution 63/309, which establishes the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization for this session, mandates the Working Group to consider the role of the Assembly in the selection and appointment of the Secretary- General. We look forward to participating constructively in those discussions. In that connection, South Africa congratulates the Ambassadors of Slovenia and Argentina on their appointment as co-facilitators. They can be assured of South Africa’s full support and cooperation. Finally, the President may be assured of my delegation’s support for the strengthening of his office. We look forward to hearing his views in that regard in the Working Group, especially with regard to the institutional memory of his office, as mandated by resolution 63/309.

First of all, the delegation of Kazakhstan would like to thank the President for continuing the discussion of the revitalization of the General Assembly within the framework of the Assembly’s sixty-fourth session. I would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the Co-Chairs of the Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly — the Permanent Representatives of Ecuador, Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, and of Norway, Mr. Morten Wetland — for the intensive work, as reflected in the report of the Working Group presented in the last session (A/63/959). Let me also congratulate the Ambassadors of Argentina and Slovenia on their recent appointment by the Assembly President as the new co-facilitators of the Working Group. It is our belief that under their chairmanship the Working Group will continue to successfully execute the very important mandate of identifying further ways to enhance the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the General Assembly. To date, there has been some progress in improving the efficiency of the General Assembly and its working methods. In particular, we commend the practical approach of analysing in detail the status of implementation of existing resolutions and decisions on revitalization, on the basis of the updated inventory/chart. The chart is a useful instrument for assessing and consolidating the status of implementation of the main provisions of relevant resolutions, which have been distributed across three main clusters. In our view, the chart of the status of implementation should form the basis for the Assembly’s deliberations. Another example of a positive shift that we would like to mention is the regular meetings held by the President of the General Assembly with the Presidents of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council to ensure increased cooperation, coordination and complementarity in the work programmes of three principal bodies of the United Nations. Moreover, in recent years, the Presidents of the General Assembly have been proactive in addressing the most pressing global issues through thematic debates and informal plenary meetings. At this stage of the discussion, we should be able to decide what modalities of operation the Working Group on Revitalization should adopt during this session of the Assembly. We think that the Working Group should organize its work programme around holding general discussions and exchanges of views, organized thematic meetings and briefings. As to which aspects of General Assembly revitalization require our careful attention, I would single out three. First, it is clear that the ultimate goal of the General Assembly reform process is to make it the main deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the United Nations. No one can disagree with that. General Assembly reform is closely linked to the reform of other principal bodies of the United Nations and their working methods. Although the division of labour between three principal bodies is duly reflected in the Charter of the United Nations, we are still debating the disparity of power. A strong political will on the part of the Member States is needed if they are to evaluate a balance among the principal bodies of the United Nations with a view to making the Councils more accountable to the General Assembly and to aligning their work programmes. Secondly, it is very important to strengthen the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly by enhancing the role of core staff members and improving the functions of the Office and its relationship with the Secretariat. We voice our support for strengthening both the financial and human resources for the Office of the President. Thirdly, proper consideration should be given to the question of the role and responsibility of the General Assembly in the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General. The Member States should move forward in their consultations and reach an agreement that procedures for selecting the Secretary-General should be formalized and carried out in a timely, transparent and inclusive manner. There is no doubt that the issues of the Assembly’s visibility and public outreach capacity, its relationship with the Secretariat, new technological and balloting options, media coverage and improvements in documentation are no less important. Nevertheless, in our view, the ultimate goal of General Assembly reform will not be reached unless we have come to terms with the three principal aspects I have just discussed. Another issue that relates to those of a recommendatory nature is put forward by the General Assembly in the operative parts of its resolutions. We think that it is now time to collectively resolve the issue of making it mandatory for Member States to implement General Assembly recommendations, even if this would require the introduction of certain amendments to the Charter of the United Nations. Kazakhstan believes that the major global issues — such as the financial crisis and progress on the Millennium Development Goals — should be discussed not only at high-level meetings, as traditionally done on the eve of the opening of the general debate at the General Assembly’s annual session, but directly within the plenary sessions of the General Assembly, not outside them. In conclusion, I should like to reiterate Kazakhstan’s firm position that a stronger General Assembly would help strengthen multilateralism in terms of transparency and inclusiveness. Kazakhstan is committed to the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly as an essential element of the United Nations reform process as a whole.

My delegation associates itself with the statements made by the representative of Algeria, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, and by the representative of Mexico, on behalf of the Rio Group. I should like to add some remarks on this item. First of all, I should like to thank the Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the revitalization of the General Assembly for having prepared the report on this matter (A/63/959) and for their efforts to make progress in revitalizing the General Assembly. The revitalization of the General Assembly constitutes a determining element in any genuine reform of the United Nations. We cannot hope to have an Organization whose actions are fully democratic and effective as long as the General Assembly does not fully exercise the faculties accorded to it in the Charter. This process of revitalization must have as its aim the reaffirmation of the central role of the General Assembly as the principal deliberative, policy-making and representative body of the United Nations, just as it is recognized to be in the Charter and the Millennium Declaration. It is important that this process culminate in an Assembly strengthened in its independence and in its nature as a body for inclusive debate, in which Member States enjoy unrestricted and unlimited freedom to consider any matter they deem to be of interest. If we wish to restore the confidence of the international community in the United Nations, and, above all, its credibility in global public opinion, then we must ensure that our Organization truly responds to the collective interests of its Member States. That can only be achieved by revitalizing the leading role of the General Assembly as the only United Nations body in which there is no place for hegemonies, where we all have a voice and a vote and where the obsolete right of veto does not exist. The General Assembly can and must examine crucial and urgent matters of international significance with a view to adopting concrete and action-oriented resolutions. In our view, the main problem of the Organization today is precisely the lack of implementation of the numerous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly, which constitute an important set of regulations but remain inert, since their implementation depends on the political will of those States that have the political, military or economic power to do so. The same applies to the numerous resolutions on the revitalization of the Assembly, whose implementation has been very limited indeed. Cuba stresses the need to attain a proper balance among the main bodies of the United Nations, in accordance with the Charter, and for Member States to put an end to any attempt to transfer items from the agenda of the General Assembly to the Security Council. The Security Council should strictly observe the provisions of the Charter, as well as all resolutions of the General Assembly, as the principal body of the United Nations, and must desist from interfering in matters that clearly fall within the functions and powers of other bodies. The delegation of Cuba wishes to express its concern at the establishment of norms and definitions by the Security Council that go beyond the competence of that body, actions that ignore the fact that, under Article 13 of the Charter, the General Assembly has the primary responsibility for the progressive development of international law and its codification. The revitalization of the General Assembly cannot be a bureaucratic process. As Father Miguel D’Escoto wisely said in his farewell address as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session, “revitalization is a political rather than a technical issue” (A/63/PV.105). We hope that, as a result of the revitalization process, the interaction between the Secretariat and the General Assembly will be strengthened, so that the former can respond more effectively to the mandates set by the Member States. Additionally, as part of the work by the Ad Hoc Working Group on revitalization, strict attention should be paid to the implementation of the resolutions on this matter. Also, the chart that lists the resolutions on the revitalization of the General Assembly should be appropriately updated. We already have a powerful legislative arsenal relating to the necessary revitalization of this principal body. The priority must be precisely to implement the multiple resolutions that have already been adopted. The Cuban delegation wishes to conclude by reiterating its willingness to continue collaborating on the ongoing work aimed at achieving the important and necessary objective of revitalizing the General Assembly.

At the outset, I should like to welcome the decision of the President of the General Assembly to appoint the Permanent Representatives of Argentina, Ambassador Jorge Argüello, and Slovenia, Ambassador Sanja Štiglic, as Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly at the present session of the Assembly. We express our warm congratulations to them and pledge our full support for the important task they have assumed. We are sure that, under their wise guidance, we will make progress towards our goal of revitalizing this multilateral forum. I also reaffirm our particular gratitude for the excellent work carried out by the former Permanent Representative of Ecuador, Ambassador María Fernanda Espinosa, and the Permanent Representative of Norway, Ambassador Morten Wetland, in leading the Ad Hoc Working Group during the last session of the General Assembly. The significant contributions they made have laid the groundwork for the work that we will carry out starting today. In this world, where the various problems facing humanity demand swift and timely responses, organizations must be able to adapt. However, taking a look at the agenda of the General Assembly, we see a proliferation of topics that do not necessarily reflect the priorities of the international agenda but, rather, divert our efforts. Many of them, because of their limited scope, could be tackled in other hemispheric forums. Other topics that are of a very specific nature would be better dealt with in specialized forums. We must also seek to limit the automatic and mechanical repetition of the topics that we address. We therefore believe that this programme must be reviewed. We also believe that the General Assembly should be proactive and not limit itself to drawn-out debates, which will only be remembered within this Organization and have little practical effect on the ground. Along these lines, we must be able to move ahead in defining the essential subjects on which the General Assembly should focus its work in order to produce concrete and verifiable results that are noticed by public opinion. My delegation believes it is important to foster a closer relationship between the President of the Assembly and the Chairpersons of the Main Committees, as well as other United Nations organs in which relevant matters on the international agenda are addressed. Greater involvement on the part of the President would lead to greater visibility and ability to reach the general public. This is essential when it comes to raising the profile and voice of the President of the Assembly in international public opinion. We all agree on the importance of the President’s profile and the role the President must play during his or her tenure in lending weight and relevance to the General Assembly. Unfortunately, the annual change of the presidency makes it difficult to produce significant results. Despite this, it is possible to ensure effective and efficient management of the presidency. For this reason it is essential that we strengthen the capacities of the Office of the presidency by creating an ad hoc team that remains over time and does not rotate yearly. To the degree that this is possible, we would be promoting more streamlined and efficient work, which would permit us to maintain the presidency’s institutional memory. The ad hoc team should have sufficient capacity to support, with greater effectiveness and continuity over time, all the work of information management, as well as to cooperate substantively on the many tasks involved in coordinating the work of the presidency with the Secretariat and the Chairs of the Main Committees. The function of the Office of the President of the General Assembly cannot be separated from the actual figure of the President. For this reason, the strengthening of the Office of the presidency will, in the end, be a natural consequence of the ability of the President to guide the work of the Assembly, generate consensus, bring rapprochement between differing positions, and place him or her above the various interests in play in order to foster dialogue, which will allow all of us to identify with this unifying function. The President must be able to maintain a profile conducive to the important work of the Office and that, as we are all aware, reflects the efficient management of the Office and of the Assembly itself. We have made progress in updating the synoptic chart of the General Assembly’s resolutions on revitalization. This chart should, however, be dynamic, flexible, easy to understand and results-oriented. In this regard, for instance, resolutions that have already been implemented could be compiled in an annex to the rules of the Assembly. Concerning the voting system, we will continue to participate constructively in the review of the secret ballot proposals that have been made with a view to establishing a fast, efficient and secure system that will ensure the credibility, reliability and confidentiality of the secret ballot process. Regarding the role and responsibility of the General Assembly in the selection of the Secretary- General, we believe the Assembly should play a more proactive role, in keeping with that established in the Charter and in resolutions adopted by the Assembly itself. Organizing meetings with the candidates in the Assembly and/or with regional groups could be a first step for greater involvement on the part of the Assembly in the election of the Secretary-General. We also stress that in appointing the Secretary-General and in accordance with resolutions on this subject, due attention should be paid to regional rotation and to gender equality. In conclusion, allow me to reaffirm the commitment of the Peruvian delegation to continue to support all efforts aimed at revitalizing the General Assembly. With this in mind, we will participate constructively in the work that develops during the current session.

First of all, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the President for convening today’s meeting to discuss one of the most important items on the General Assembly’s agenda, the revitalization of its work. I would like also to thank the Co-Chairs of the previous Ad Hoc Working Group on the revitalization of the General Assembly, Ambassador Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador and Ambassador Morten Wetland of Norway, for their excellent work, detailed in their report (A/63/959) and Assembly resolution 63/309. Let me also warmly welcome the co-facilitators in this process, Ambassador Sanja Štiglić of Slovenia and Ambassador Jorge Argüello of Argentina; I expect to cooperate closely with them as we continue to work on these essential issues. The General Assembly is the most representative organ of the United Nations, one in which all Member States participate. Despite an exception in Article 12, paragraph 1, of the Charter of the United Nations, the Assembly is mandated to address any issues and questions determined by the Charter. Japan is committed to the process of revitalizing the Assembly and will continue to contribute to the activities to be carried out in this regard. My delegation would like to single out the issue of thematic debates, which we consider very useful in promoting Member States’ understanding of the ordering of priorities on the United Nations agenda. We welcomed the thematic debates organized in the past year on global issues such as the financial crisis, the food crisis, and problems of energy and natural resources, as well as today’s important topic of human security. Japan believes that we should create mechanisms to link such debates to various concrete activities of the Assembly. The selection of the subjects of debates is also crucial. I would like to stress that, in order to keep thematic debates within the United Nations limited resources, the theme and content of discussions must be carefully selected on a case-by- case basis. I hope that Presidents of the General Assembly and Member States will consult closely in this regard. Japan recognizes the importance of continuing to review the status of implementation of General Assembly resolutions, and commends the Secretariat’s strenuous work in issuing its related report in February (A/62/952/Add.1). We expect that monitoring of the implementation of Assembly resolutions will be improved in the wake of that document. Japan welcomes the submission of annual reports by the Security Council to the General Assembly, the regular consultations between the presidents of the Council and the Assembly, and the timely communications from the Secretary-General to the Assembly. We firmly hope that the Assembly’s relationship and coordination with the other principal organs will be further strengthened and improved as this process continues. We should also note that the General Assembly, jointly with the Security Council, is a supervisory body of the Peacebuilding Commission. Japan commends the active discussion in both the Assembly and the Security Council on the Peacebuilding Commission’s annual report, as this contributes further to reinforcing the links between the two main bodies of the United Nations. We note that the introduction of a voting system for the Assembly using new technology is being examined in the framework of the Capital Master Plan. This should be done on condition that it takes Member States’ needs and their concerns about secrecy and security into full consideration, as well as rationally utilization of existing financial resources without any additional budgetary requirements. I expect the Secretariat to consult with the Member States for these purposes. As we look forward to the imminent constructive discussions on this agenda, my delegation reiterates its commitment to contributing to revitalizing the work of the General Assembly.

In Bleak House, Dickens wrote: “This scarecrow of a suit has … become so complicated that no man alive knows what it means. The parties to it understand it least, but it has been observed that no two Chancery lawyers can talk about it for five minutes without coming to a total disagreement as to all the premises.” I am sure that this state of affairs will not seem unfamiliar to representatives in this Hall as we discuss the revitalization of the General Assembly and negotiate the remaining resolutions on the agenda of the sixty-fourth session. Indeed, revitalization of the General Assembly is a subject that we have been struggling with for some time, along with other pressing issues of United Nations reform. We must press on, and do so knowing that we do not have the luxury of time. For too long, we in this house believed that there were no serious challengers to this model of international organization. The rise of alternative global governance structures such as the Group of 20 and the expansion of its agenda beyond the financial crisis to trade and labour issues have renewed questions and doubts about the relevance of the United Nations and the General Assembly. For Lilliputian States like Singapore, multilateralism has always been a vital defence against the Gullivers of the international stage. It is in this vein that we see the General Assembly’s vigour and relevance as an issue of paramount importance, particularly since a key characteristic of the General Assembly is its unique legitimacy arising from its universal membership. Singapore has always held the view that the task of revitalizing the General Assembly and of reforming the United Nations in general must be done in a pragmatic fashion. It is not practical or realistic to believe we can simply tear down the General Assembly and build a new one. Rather, we must clean up our house one room at a time. That can appear to be tedious work, but it must be done. More importantly, it should be done by all of us, as all Member States have much to gain from a tidier house. In this regard, Singapore recognizes the important contributions of past Ad Hoc Working Groups on this agenda item, including efforts to streamline the work of the General Assembly through the biennialization, triennialization, thematic clustering and elimination of items on its agenda, as well as the introduction of a sunset clause on resolutions. Aside from the important micro-reforms that we must take to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Assembly, our revitalization efforts this year should also focus on macro-reforms. Let me highlight two issues in this regard. First, we should strengthen United Nations budgetary processes. Member States should have a say over the budget of the Organization, but the prevailing climate of excessive micromanagement and politicking amongst Member States on administrative and budgetary issues has led, ironically, to the proliferation of bureaucracy and the wastage of resources. Let us do something about that. Let us refocus discussions on finance and budget issues at a broader and more strategic level. For instance, we could devote more time to examine the drivers behind the growth of various components of the budget to see if these are reasonable and commensurate with the commitments of the United Nations in an increasingly complex and volatile world. I am thinking of the special political missions, whose share of the regular budget has ballooned tremendously in recent years and engendered the inaccurate perception that the United Nations budget is somehow spiralling out of control. Another example is in the area of human resources reform. Are we paying sufficient attention to the performance management of United Nations staff to ensure that they deliver their best? Secondly, we should review and reprioritize the General Assembly agenda, especially high-level events. We should take into account what developed and developing countries alike want to discuss, with an eye to the timeliness and relevance of these events. This approach would help to garner more buy-in from Member States and sustain the interest of our capitals in attending these events. The harsh reality is that the activities of the General Assembly risk becoming a sideshow to the activities of other forums if we fall out of sync with the relevant and pressing issues of the day. Alternative forums emerge in the vacuum of leadership the United Nations cedes, whether consciously or inadvertently. The General Assembly may be the most legitimate forum for the deliberation of multilateral issues, but we must beware of relegating ourselves to the sidelines as a result of our own ineffectiveness. All too often, our discourse degenerates into deadlocks animated by dogmatic sparring. We can do better than that. Our emergence from the trough of the world financial and economic crisis provides us with a brief window of respite to reflect and take the necessary steps to revitalize the General Assembly. We should not squander that opportunity.

The Madagascar delegation associates itself with the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. Nevertheless, my delegation would like to make some comments in its national capacity. Today, we are addressing a topic that covers issues of great interest to States Members of the United Nations. My delegation would like to commend the efforts made and the commitment shown to our Organization during this session. The General Assembly remains the core framework for reaching global consensus on major contemporary problems and for taking decisions or making recommendations on concerted action to deal with the interdependent threats that currently imperil the world. The General Assembly is thus an instrument for effective multilateralism and a unique forum for dialogue. Any reform should therefore improve the effectiveness and credibility of our Organization, which is a universal symbol for translating our people’s aspirations to peace into action. Madagascar greatly values the work of the General Assembly and efforts to strengthen the role of the Organization. It reaffirms its commitment to the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and to international law, which are the essential foundations of a more peaceful and fairer world. Madagascar recognizes the significant achievements made in making this Organization more democratic and efficient, while respecting the role and authority of the General Assembly. In this regard, my delegation read with interest the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly (A/63/959), and should like, in its national capacity, to highlight the injustice that we suffered during the general debate of the sixty-fourth session on 25 September 2009. With respect to rule 71 of the General Assembly’s rules of procedure, the issue of Madagascar’s representation was not on the agenda of the general debate, to which all States, including Madagascar, are invited, as they are each year, to put forward their opinions and to speak to this Assembly. Furthermore, according to document A/INF/64/3/Rev.1 on the programme of work of the General Assembly and the schedule of plenary meetings, the Credentials Committee will not present its report to the General Assembly until Monday, 14 December 2009. That means the Committee has not yet made a statement on the case of Madagascar’s participation in the work of the sixty-fourth session. Thus, pursuant to rule 29 of the rules of procedures, the head of the delegation of Madagascar maintains the same rights as other representatives. Moreover, I would note that at no time to date has a delegation questioned the validity of Madagascar’s credentials. Hence, Madagascar is neither excluded nor suspended from its rights and privileges as a member under rule 83 of the rules of procedures, which requires that decisions on important questions, such as the determination of a State Member’s sovereignty, shall be made by a two-thirds majority of the members present and voting. For the sake of good sense and respect for democracy, that question should not be left in the hands of a small number of States. Madagascar has been the subject of no sanction either by the Security Council or the General Assembly and therefore cannot be denied its right to take the floor. That is an assault on the sovereignty of my country and a violation of the inalienable right of the Malagasy people. In the name of the rule of law in international relations, we denounce that denial with all our might. We reaffirm our full and unreserved commitment to the principles and aims of non-alignment, inter alia, the respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States and the principle of non-intervention and non-interference in a country’s domestic affairs. Those principles are universally recognized by the international community. In that regard, any procedure should be carried out in respect for the standards and principles of the Organization that we ourselves, the peoples of the United Nations, have adopted. We are in a system that respects the rule of law and democratic processes. We hope that such a deeply regrettable incident will not recur. That extremely serious incident must in no way serve as a precedent within the Organization or in the annals of the United Nations. The Madagascar delegation supports every initiative to improve and revitalize the work of the General Assembly in order to make it more effective and credible. Madagascar endorses the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, contained in resolution 2625 (XXV) of 24 October 1970, which stipulates, in its section on the principle of sovereign equality of States that all States enjoy equal sovereignty, that they have equal rights and duties and are equal members of the international community, notwithstanding economic, social, political or other differences. That further complements the provisions of Article 14 of the Charter on the functions and powers of the General Assembly, which stipulates that “the General Assembly may recommend measures for the peaceful adjustment of any situation, regardless of origin, which it deems likely to impair the general welfare or friendly relations among nations”.

On behalf of the delegation of Colombia, I would like to recognize the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly and, in particular, the work and dedication of its co-Chairs, the Ambassadors of Ecuador and Norway. Resolution 63/309, adopted on 14 September, and the report of the Working Group (A/63/959) reflect the work undertaken in this area. I would also like to congratulate Ambassadors Argüello of Argentina and Štiglic of Slovenia for their appointment as co-facilitators of the Ad Hoc Working Group. We wish them every success in their important work. They can count on the support of my delegation in carrying out their work. My delegation aligns itself with the statements made by the representatives of Mexico on behalf of the Rio Group and of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. For my Government, the efforts to strengthen the General Assembly and its role as the principal organ for participation, deliberation and policy development, are a priority. We reiterate our commitment to further enhancing the role, authority and effectiveness of the General Assembly. I wish to underscore the innovation distinction made in resolution 63/309 between substantive questions and procedural aspects related to working methods. That modification allows a conceptual step forward in the analysis of topics related to revitalization and reflects methodological suggestions made by several delegations, including that of Colombia, during the meetings of the Working Group. The initiatives proposed by delegations and described in the report of the Working Group with respect to the more active participation of the General Assembly in selecting the Secretary-General deserve to be highlighted. Greater interaction between prospective candidates and the General Assembly, with presentations before the plenary and regional groups, would undoubtedly promote a better selection process. Coordination among the three principal organs of the United Nations — the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council — should be broadened and improved. Such coordination, based on the distribution of responsibilities pursuant to the Charter, could be supported by improved information exchange on the work of those organs, the convening of monthly meetings between them, and the submission of periodic reports. The challenges arising from the new global realities need to be addressed in universal forums, such as the General Assembly. The development of interactive thematic debates at the previous session is a step in that direction. We encourage the President of the General Assembly to continue such debates and to convene special meetings to address situations of international importance. Support for the Office of the President of the General Assembly through the allocation of required resources will allow for the strengthening of its institutional memory and a better dissemination of its work. It is important that the analysis of these issues be addressed by the Working Group established to review the revitalization of this body. Other issues, such as balloting, the more efficient handling of documentation and the introduction of new technologies to improve the balloting process and make it more transparent, must be addressed as a matter of priority. We also hope that the consideration of those issues, from a technological and budgetary standpoint, will be part of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group. In order to streamline and optimize the work of this main organ, it is important that we move ahead in updating and implementing resolutions on the revitalization of the General Assembly at this session. My delegation also wishes to highlight the request in resolution 63/309 to the President of the Assembly that he, in consultation with Member States, make proposals for grouping agenda items so that some can be addressed every two or three years. The introduction of a sunset clause would also contribute to making our work more rational. Finally, we support the idea of developing specific action plans for each thematic area as part of the work of the Working Group. Such plans would enable the Group to envisage elements and critical pathways leading to concrete results. Each action plan would define the objectives to be achieved, the analysis of their budgetary and/or legal viability, the specific activities to be carried out and their timelines, as well as the bodies responsible for their implementation. My delegation trusts that, with such initiatives, the process of revitalizing the General Assembly can deliver tangible results. We must focus our efforts on a practical approach to that end. My delegation reiterates its willingness to cooperate resolutely in this important work.

At the outset, I should like to thank President Treki for having convened this debate and provided the membership with a meaningful opportunity to consider the revitalization of the General Assembly during this session. We should also like to express our gratitude to the former Permanent Representative of Ecuador and the Permanent Representative of Norway for their excellent work as co-Chairs of the Report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly at the sixty-third session. I also congratulate the new co-Chairs, the Permanent Representatives of Slovenia and Argentina. We are ready to extend our full support to their efforts on this issue. As we are all aware, the issue of the revitalization of the General Assembly has been on our agenda for many years. So far, a wide range of issues has been discussed and multiple resolutions have been adopted. In particular, the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group (A/63/959) was adopted at the sixty-third session. We have been able to build upon that report in our further discussions on this issue. My delegation believes that a more focused approach needs to be introduced to bring about substantial results in our future deliberations on this issue. First, more efforts should be geared towards making the General Assembly a more efficient and effective body and helping it make use of its resources in a cost-effective manner. In this regard, efforts to thoroughly review existing resolutions on revitalization need to be scaled up. We need to examine which resolutions have been well implemented and which have not, and the reasons why. The inventory chart developed at the sixty-second session will be a good base in this regard. Furthermore, the General Assembly needs to restructure its agenda and focus its work on more priority issues. The possibility of eliminating, clustering or biennializing Assembly agenda items should be explored in detail. Secondly, it is important for the General Assembly to enhance cooperation and coordination with other main organs in exercising their competencies. We should approach this point from the perspective of coordination among the main organs, not from the perspective of competition. In that regard, we would like to encourage the President of the General Assembly to meet periodically with the Secretary-General, the Presidents of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, and the chairs of the Main Committees, and to share the outcome of these interactions with Member States. This will facilitate the streamlining of agendas and help reduce duplication of work. In this regard, we fully support and value the practical initiative of the Secretary-General to provide timely briefings to the General Assembly on his activities and the work of the United Nations. Thirdly, we agree that it is desirable to continue to hold thematic debates on issues of relevance to the international community and of concern to the Organization. This will contribute to raising political will and momentum on current issues that warrant collective endeavours on the part of the international community. Therefore, we believe that the thematic debate should produce more action-oriented results. Furthermore, we would like to encourage the President of the General Assembly to work closely with Member States in deciding specific themes and setting the timing of thematic debates in a more transparent and effective manner. We would also like to suggest that the General Assembly undertake review processes for past thematic debates to evaluate how much added value they have produced. This will provide us with a guide for preparing future thematic debates in a more productive manner. The revitalization of the General Assembly is an ongoing process. Indeed, we have a wide variety of issues on the table relating to the revitalization of the General Assembly that need further deliberation. My delegation looks forward to the re-establishment of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly during this session, as called for in resolution 63/309. We need to agree on specific issues to address, including the working methods, and focus on achieving tangible results on them without overextending ourselves with too broad a workload. My delegation will continue to actively participate in future debates with a view to contributing to a successful and productive outcome of our collective endeavours aimed at further revitalizing the General Assembly.

The delegation of Nicaragua thanks the President of the General Assembly for having convened this important debate. I also wish to express our appreciation for the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group coordinated by the former Ambassador of Ecuador, Ms. María Fernanda Espinoza, and the Ambassador of Norway, Mr. Morten Wetland. The work they undertook at the sixty-third session of Assembly drove forward the process of revitalization. Nicaragua reiterates its strong commitment to the process of the revitalization and democratization of the General Assembly and underscores the importance of resolution 63/309. However, we still have a great deal of work ahead to ensure that this body, in all its dimensions, remains the most representative and legitimate body of this Organization. My delegation aligns itself with the statements made by the Permanent Representatives of Argentina, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, and of Mexico on behalf of the Rio Group. The democratization of the United Nations is a matter of priority. Measures must continue to be taken so that the General Assembly can regain its full authority and exercise the functions incumbent on it as the most democratic, deliberative and legitimate organ of the Organization. We should like to express our particular appreciation for the efforts made in this regard by the President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session. The first thing we wish to recognize is that Mr. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann gave such weight to the fact that all countries have the same right to be heard and heeded that the term that he correctly coined — the Group of 192, or G-192 — can now be heard in all quarters. The holding in June of the United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development, as well as the richness of the debate, demonstrated that we are indeed prepared to discuss any issue that affects us. We have shattered the myth that some issues are solely the purview of a few, rather than of the entire G-192. The importance of the General Assembly as the most appropriate forum for addressing any issue affecting the international community has been well established. Similarly, we welcome the timely and decisive adoption of resolution 63/301, concerning the situation in Honduras, which illustrated the fact that the Assembly is attuned to issues of international relevance. It also constituted an important example of the role that the Assembly can and should play in the maintenance of international peace and security. An additional example in that regard was the speedy action by the Assembly’s presidency during the sixty-third session in the face of the impasse in which the Security Council found itself during the Israeli invasion of Gaza. We would also like to commend the President’s swift response to the request of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Palestinian people to hold a special debate during the sixty-fourth session to take up the Goldstone report (A/HRC/12/48). We believe that the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly should be based on the principles of democracy, transparency and accountability and achieved through open and inclusive consultations, a critical component of the comprehensive reform of the Organization that is so badly needed. The main necessary elements to be taken into account in revitalizing the Assembly are clearly set out in the declaration recently issued by the Non-Aligned Movement. We trust that the Working Group will consider them carefully during its deliberations. We take this opportunity to welcome the appointment of the representatives of Slovenia and Argentina as co-Chairs of that important Group. We wish to stress the need for those principles to be taken into consideration in addressing issues of vital importance for the Organization, in particular the nomination and appointment of the Secretary-General, as is clearly detailed in the Movement’s declaration. The General Assembly should exercise its responsibility in the nomination and appointment of the Secretary-General, carry out consultations with all Member States and subsequently present its candidates. An open debate should be held, with candidates presenting their points of view so that we, the G-192, can make judgements on the correct selection and appointment. Following such an open and transparent process, the Assembly should make its recommendations. If the Assembly’s role and authority are to be restored and strengthened, its functions and competencies must be fully respected. We must also strengthen its relations and coordination with the other principal organs, in particular the Security Council, where there is still much work to be done. It is necessary to reiterate that the Security Council should not encroach on matters that fall exclusively under the purview of the Assembly. We have noted with satisfaction the efforts of the President to bring together the Security Council and the other principal organs of the Organization and to promote the exchange of information. With regard to strengthening the Office of the President of the General Assembly, we reiterate the importance of continuing to consider ways and means to make it possible to increase the human and financial resources currently at the disposal of the presidency. Every country should have the right to preside over the Assembly, and economic considerations should be no impediment to doing so. It is therefore important to increase resources in that connection, so as to contribute to the strengthening of the General Assembly. Lastly, with regard to establishing a new voting system, we warn against any decisions being taken prior to wide-scale decisive consultations among the entire membership. Nicaragua will continue to support every effort to strengthen the central role and authority of the General Assembly as the main deliberative, standard-setting and representative organ of the United Nations. We have confidence in the President, in whose hands we place ourselves, for we know that, under his leadership and through his efforts, the role of the General Assembly will continue to be strengthened, thereby increasing its relevance and credibility and amplifying the voice of the G-192.

This is the second consecutive year that we are enjoying the opportunity to express our gratitude to the President of the General Assembly for his particular attention to the long-standing and important issue of the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, as inscribed on the working agendas of the sixty-third and sixty-fourth sessions of the Assembly. I would like to associate my delegation with the statement that has already been delivered by the Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement on that very agenda item. I wish, however, to delve into a few observations. After 18 years of work, and much has been done to enhance the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the General Assembly. However, we are still far from accomplishing the main tasks, including, inter alia, enhancing the role and authority of the General Assembly, streamlining the relationship between the Assembly and the other principal organs of the United Nations, and promoting the role and responsibility of the Assembly in the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General. Those are but a few of the expectations we have of this body as we engage in this profound endeavour this year. On the basis of a review of various United Nations resolutions on the revitalization of the General Assembly, it is quite clear that a great number of them have dealt with the role and authority of the General Assembly. That clearly demonstrates how important the enhancement of the role and authority of this organ is to the general membership. We should not underestimate the great importance of this issue, and should therefore explore concrete ways and means of ensuring full respect for the functions and powers of the General Assembly, as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations. As for the relationship between the General Assembly and other principal organs of the United Nations, the particular relationship between the Assembly and the Security Council has been a matter of extensive debate for many years, especially during various United Nations reform processes. A good number of General Assembly resolutions set certain criteria to clarify the relationship between those two important principal organs of the United Nations. The Charter itself confers on both organs important functions and responsibilities. Nonetheless, in recent years, we have witnessed a gradual but constant encroachment by the Security Council on the functions and the powers of the General Assembly, as well as of other organs, such as the Economic and Social Council. There are numerous cases of the Security Council encroaching on the powers and prerogatives of the Assembly and of other bodies of the Organization. We are particularly concerned about the exercise of setting norms, making laws and establishing definitions by the Security Council in areas beyond its competency. Let me recall Article 13 of the Charter, according to which the General Assembly, as the only universal and representative organ comprising all Member States of the United Nations, is primarily tasked with the progressive development of international law and its codification. With regard to the role and responsibility of the General Assembly in the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General, I should emphasis that, if we seek to make Article 97 of the Charter a reality, we cannot and should not relegate the Assembly merely to the role of a rubber stamp. In our view, there is a strong tendency among the vast majority of Members of the Organization to articulate and improve the procedure for selecting the Secretary- General by giving the General Assembly a more meaningful and determining role to assume. Resolution 51/241 prescribed a set of provisions that, if implemented, will strengthen the role of the General Assembly in the selection of the Secretary- General. In fact, this is a matter of great importance for the entire international community, which regards the Secretary-General as its highest representative, whose legitimacy and credibility should be based on the wider support of its members, not that of just a few. As part of the comprehensive reform of the United Nations, the revitalization of the General Assembly is a dynamic and continuous process. We should remain committed and constructive throughout this ongoing exercise, with a view to strengthening the role and authority of the Assembly as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. My delegation will be prepared to actively participate in a discussion that is transparent, open and inclusive.

I am happy to participate in today’s debate on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. My delegation associates itself broadly with the position of the Non-Aligned Movement, as expressed by the delegation of Algeria. We are guided by the desire to have a more effective United Nations. India wants the United Nations to be an Organization that is truly responsive to the priorities and aspirations of Member States, in particular of developing countries, which constitute the vast majority of the membership. Its working methods must also embody efficiency and transparency. The role of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative, legislative, policymaking and representative body of the international community must be strengthened and respected both in letter and in spirit. Indeed, the strengthening of procedures, working methods and documentation and ensuring due follow-up are important steps in that direction. Enhanced General Assembly visibility and outreach are equally important. However, more important is the need to continue to focus on substantive measures to restore and enhance the role and authority of the General Assembly, including in exercising control over legislation, material and manpower, and its role as the chief oversight organ of the United Nations. As the voice of the international community, the General Assembly must have a greater say in the process of selecting the Secretary-General. The mandate for the appointment of the Secretary-General flows from Article 97 of the Charter of the United Nations, which envisages a role for both the General Assembly and the Security Council. The modalities of the appointment process have, however, come to be governed by subparagraph (d) of paragraph 4 of Assembly resolution 11 (I), of 24 January 1946. It would appear strange today that, while we all promote the principles of transparency and an inclusive selection process, the General Assembly willingly agreed to impose such restrictions on its own Charter mandate. However, it is important to recall that the reason for resolution 11 (I) was the context of the post- 1945 world. More than 60 years since the adoption of resolution 11 (I), we live in a different world. While the Security Council itself must change to reflect contemporary realities and expand its membership in both the permanent and the non-permanent categories, the General Assembly cannot remain bound by self- imposed restrictions that reflect an era gone by. The General Assembly’s role cannot be merely to rubber- stamp the recommendation of the Security Council. The need for changes in the process of appointing the Secretary-General has been recognized by all Member States. Resolutions 51/241, of 31 July 1997, and 60/286, of 8 September 2006, outline in detail proposals for improving this process. Those proposals include making full use of the Charter provisions on the General Assembly’s power of appointment, due regard for regional rotation and gender equality, the possibility of the President of the General Assembly consulting with Member States to identify potential candidates endorsed by a Member State, encouraging the formal presentation of candidatures for the position of Secretary-General in a manner that allows sufficient time for interaction with Member States and requesting candidates to present their views to all States members of the General Assembly. Clearly, what is required is the necessary political will to comprehensively consider and implement those changes. A more inclusive and interactive selection process would also enhance the authority and effectiveness of the Secretary-General, as well as increase the confidence of all Member States in the Secretary-General. The revitalization process also implies that the General Assembly should take the lead in setting the global agenda and restoring the centrality of the United Nations. The convening power of the United Nations must be used more decisively in that regard. There has been an increasing tendency to undermine the prerogatives and authority of the General Assembly through the Security Council’s encroachment on its agenda. It is important that the balance among the principal organs of the United Nations envisaged in the Charter be maintained and respected. Of special concern is the encroachment by the Security Council on issues that traditionally fall within the General Assembly’s competence, such as the process of standard-setting and the codification of international law. Of concern also is the holding of thematic debates in the Security Council on issues that frequently fall within the purview of the General Assembly or the Economic and Social Council. Resolution 60/286 reiterated that, in addition to the Security Council making its annual report more analytical, it should submit special reports to the General Assembly. It is important to fulfil that provision to the satisfaction of Member States while the Security Council considers ways to further improve the quality of its reports to the General Assembly. It is also important that a truly representative body such as the General Assembly have a much greater say in international economic and financial matters. The United Nations Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development successfully demonstrated the convening power that the General Assembly can exercise on such global issues. Our expectation is that Member States will continue their constructive engagement in the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group of the General Assembly that was set up pursuant to the outcome of the Conference. Before I conclude, I would like to felicitate the Permanent Representatives of Norway and Ecuador for their significant efforts in this direction as Co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group. My delegation also looks forward to working with the Permanent Representatives of Slovenia and Argentina, the newly appointed Co-Chairs for the current session. We assure them of our full cooperation and support. I would also like to re-emphasize the need to undertake comprehensive discussions on substantive issues that are critical for the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.

We shall hear the remaining speakers in the debate on this item tomorrow, 20 November, immediately following the joint debate on agenda items 10 and 108.