A/70/PV.118 General Assembly

I now give the floor to His Excellency Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Today we bring down the gavel on a productive session of the General Assembly. I would like to thank you, Mr. President, for your skilled leadership. Had this session adopted only the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1), that would have been notable enough. But Member States achieved much more than that. Members reached an early agreement on the draft outcome (resolution 70/302, annex) of the high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly on addressing large movements of refugees and migrants that will be held this coming Monday. This must now lead to greater compassion, solidarity and a global sharing of responsibility. At a time of appalling attacks in so many places, members reviewed the United Nations Global Counter- Terrorism Strategy. The Assembly also held a much- needed special session of the General Assembly on the world drug problem. That outcome document (resolution S-30/1) gives us a rights-based approach that stresses prevention, treatment, robust criminal justice and law-enforcement actions. And members held a series of very useful thematic debates on human rights, peace and security and the plight of children and youth affected by violent extremism. The Assembly also took important steps to strengthen transparency in the work of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. That is in keeping with our wide-ranging efforts to make the Organization more accountable to the world’s people. One of the most notable innovations of the seventieth session concerns my Office, that is, the choice of my successor. The Assembly has set in motion a process that is shining greater light onto what has been a largely opaque process. Informal dialogues with candidates have helped Member States get a good sense of their visions and views, and have enabled the world’s people to feel more involved in the process — as they should be. Whatever happens in the weeks ahead, this newly opened process has set a new standard from which there should be no retreat. Finally, Mr. President, on a more personal level, let me say that I have greatly appreciated working with you on so many challenges. I congratulate all Member States and our many partners on a solid record of achievement. The seventy- first session will build on these gains as we continue striving to resolve conflict, protect human rights and advance prosperity for all on a healthy planet. I thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership and I wish you continued success in the future. Statement by the President

A year ago in this Hall (see A/70/PV.1), I outlined how I hoped we could galvanize a new commitment to action and instal a spirit of transparency and openness in our work. I believe that we have made considerable progress, and yet so much more needs to be done. We kicked off the largest summit in United Nations history by adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (resolution 70/1). In a world of poverty, climate change, conflict and forced displacement, with impunity for rights violations and huge gender and social inequality, the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), together with the historic Paris climate agreement, has outlined the routes for the evolutionary tranformation of our whole pattern of production and consumption. This is not only possible, but we also really have no choice in the matter. If we are to avoid future division and destruction — a crisis on a scale far greater than any known to humankind today — then the relentless and integrated implementation of the SDGs and climate action is an absolute necessity. My first high-level thematic debate focused precisely on the plans, actions, finance, technology and partnerships needed for this. We managed, after much discussion, to place the 2030 Agenda follow-up and review framework on a more solid footing. Members are now in a good position to consider how best to align the Agenda for the General Assembly in light of the SDGs. The Assembly also dealt with a list of important issues in relation to the SDGs. The 10-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society showed how explosive technological development presents both incredible opportunities and incredible challenges. The special session on the world drug problem saw strong support for a response rooted in human rights and in the advancement of public health. The meeting on the global battle against HIV/AIDS recommitted us to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. We also saw a recommitment to the implementation of support for the least-developed countries at the midterm review of the Istanbul Programme of Action in Antalya. Preparations got well under way for next years conference on how better to protect our oceans and marine biodiversity. In just over a week’s time, world leaders will address the most recent movements of refugees and migrants, in order to recommit to their international obligations and build on the achievements of the Secretary-General’s World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul. However, it is obvious that achieving the 2030 Agenda will also demand a reverse of trends in maintaining peace and security and respect for human rights. The deterioration in protecting human rights is observed in many countries as we mark the tenth anniversary of the Human Rights Council. In my high- level thematic debate in July, we focused on how that deterioration affects issues of non-discrimination, the rule of law and civil society space. The General Assembly has also held meetings on the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. We discussed the Secretary- General’s Human Rights Up Front initiative and the responsibility to protect. All the while, dangerous conflicts are ongoing and expanding in size and number, causing enormous humanitarian catastrophes. Disarmament negotiations have only disclosed long- standing divides and both military budgets and tensions among major countries have unfortunately increased. The General Assembly discussed the three major United Nations values on peacebuilding and peace operations and on women and peace and security, as well as the Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism, and we undertook a 10-year review on United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The overarching focus of discussions in the high-level thematic debate I organized in May and in the debate following the briefing by the Secretary- General was on the urgent need for real change both in Member States’ approaches and in the number of troops available to the United Nations. Peacekeeping must be evaluated and there must naturally be zero-tolerence for any sexual exploitation or abuse by United Nations peacekeepers. Moreover, in the Fifth Committee, agreement is needed to provide better funding for mediation, prevention and peacebuilding, in order to reduce the number of conflicts and costly peacekeeping operations in the future. According to the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council is supposed to be the guardian of global peace and security, but in too many serious conflicts there has been no consensus and no action. We need major and minor Powers to recreate what led us to the SDGs, the climate agreement and the negotiated outcome on the Iranian nuclear programme, instead of new war or proliferation. We need to understand that by implementing the Security Council’s road map for peace in Syria and the ceasefire agreed over the weekend, in the global fight against terrorism, and in the need to stop arms and reinvigorate disarmament negotiations, we have existential common interests that are much more important than our conflicts of interest. We need Security Council reform that can contribute to this common understanding. Discussion about this reform has been ongoing for over two decades, with only minimal progress made. The work this year, facilitated by Ambassador Lucas of Luxembourg and building on last year’s text and annex, points to the common understanding that we need at least an enlarged Security Council that better reflects the geopolitical realities of the twentieth century. But if the General Assembly is serious about reform, all key players, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, have to change the script and be willing to compromise. Reforms are important, but within a few weeks there will also be the extremely important selection of the new Secretary-General. I am very proud that we broke new ground with unique transparency in the selection process. The two-hour presentation of each of the candidates in the General Assembly dialogues and their collective global town hall in this Hall were important highlights and helped to include the global public in the debate about the future of the United Nations. I hope that transparency proves instrumental in identifying the best possible new Secretary-General over the coming months. I also appeal to the Security Council to make the remaining process open and engaging to preserve the legitimacy of its recommendation as it feeds into the Assembly’s final decision. This morning, I sent a letter to the Council summarizing the process to date and setting out some of the lessons we have learned so far. That letter also addresses the call of a large number of members for the appointment of co-facilitators to prepare an appointment draft resolution during the next session. In my view, such a call is consistent with the spirit of transparency and inclusivity with which the process has been imbued to date. At the same time, as we move towards the final decision, we must focus on forging consensus and ensuring that the next Secretary-General will receive both the full support of the membership and adequate preparation time before taking office. Transparency and openness, however, must go far beyond the Secretary-General selection process. Throughout this session, I have sought to instil greater transparency in everything we do, and I am delighted to see that many of the steps I have advanced relating to the integrity, transparency and accountability of my own Office have now been codified in resolution 70/305, on the revitalization of the General Assembly, adopted earlier this morning, and I look forward to witnessing the first-ever taking of an oath of office by the incoming President in just a few moments. But we also face deadlocks on the issue of civil society participation in United Nations meetings. The HIV/AIDS meeting from 8 to 10 June was particularly overshadowed by objections to the participation of non-governmental organizations that focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. It is time to find sustainable and reasonable solutions. More broadly, we must also work to consistently improve the effectiveness of the General Assembly. There are, for example, outstanding challenges in the Fifth Committee. While we managed to reach agreement on the budget in time, far too much rigidity remains in the Organization and budgeting, and in Member States’ positions. Similarly, on a number of occasions, agreement in negotiations was held up by one or two delegations alone, which in itself undermines the collective power of the Assembly. In addition, it is clear that the workload on delegations, on the Office of the President of the General Assembly and on relevant parts of the Secretariat is growing year on year, and it is critical that we focus our efforts on those areas where we can add the most value. Before concluding, allow me to extend my gratitude to all who contributed to the results of this session. First of all, it has been an honour and a pleasure to work closely and amicably with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his team. We must all especially congratulate him on the successful outcome of his years of hard and tireless work for climate action. I wish him the very best for both the remainder of his term and for his future endeavours. I wish to thank the membership for its commitment, cooperation and friendship during this session. In particular, I wish to thank each of the Permanent Representatives who played a prominent role in bringing various processes forward; the Vice-Presidents and the various facilitators and chairs of the regional groups; as well as the President of the Economic and Social Council and the Presidents of the Security Council, with whom I have enjoyed close collaboration. I also wish to thank colleagues across the Secretariat, especially Ms. Catherine Pollard and her team in the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management, who have been of immense assistance to me and my Office. Similarly, I wish to thank all those who contributed to my Office either through financial support or secondments, or both. Not least, I wish to thank each and every one of my own team who have been so professional, enthusiastic and innovative throughout the year. Special thanks also go to the officials in the Foreign Ministry, including the Permanent Representative of Denmark, and to the Government that asked me to come forward as candidate. I hope I have brought good Danish values and attitudes — directness included — to this year’s presidency. It has been a great honour to be President of the General Assembly. I encourage members to continue to make this organ more relevant, more outward-looking, more transparent and, of course, more effective. In His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson, the Assembly will have an excellent President of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session who is committed to doing just that, and to giving a universal push to the Sustainable Development Goals. I thank everyone for their attention and cooperation. We are now coming to the end of the seventieth session of the General Assembly. I invite representatives to stand and observe one minute of silent prayer or meditation.

I now invite His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson, President-elect of the General Assembly at its seventy-first session, to make a statement and, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 70/305, of 13 September 2016, to take an oath of office.

Before proceeding further, I would like to invite to the rostrum the President-elect of the Assembly at its seventy-first session, His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson, to hand over the gavel to him. I declare closed the seventieth session of the General Assembly.