A/78/PV.32 General Assembly

Before proceeding, I would like to draw the attention of members to the date of recess of the current session. Members will recall that, at its second plenary meeting, on 8 September 2023 (see A/78/PV.2), the General Assembly decided that the seventy-eighth session would recess on Monday, 4 December 2023. However, I have been informed by the Chair of the Fifth Committee that the Committee requests an extension of its work to Friday, 15 December 2023 to facilitate a comprehensive consideration of the agenda items before it. In that connection and in view of the work that remains to be completed for this part of the session, may I take it that the Assembly agrees to postpone the date of recess to Friday, 15 December 2023?

May I also take it that the General Assembly agrees to extend the work of the Fifth Committee until Friday, 15 December 2023? It was so decided (decision 78/503).

Our focus today is the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. We undertake this charge at an historic juncture. It is a time when questions about the relevance of the United Nations itself, and therefore about its very existence, are echoing louder. If we are honest, we must accept that there is a certain legitimacy to those questions. Daily, the images of the human dimensions and costs of war and humanitarian crises are being etched indelibly into the public consciousness. Obviously, they find it unbearable, unacceptable and cruel, and want it to stop. They no doubt feel intense frustration and disillusionment when the Organization charged with stopping it seems incapable of doing so. And while the war rages on, development, climate crisis, human rights and disarmament concerns forcefully grind on, showing very little progress with the march of time. Last month, at the annual gathering of the Council of Presidents of the General Assembly in Seoul, I heard strong calls to optimize the Assembly’s efficiency and effectiveness and an impassioned call to forge a common vision to guide the most democratic body of the United Nations in today’s challenging era. I was both encouraged and gratified to learn beforehand that the former Presidents are especially keen to offer their collective wisdom and capacity to ensure the strengthening of the role of the General Assembly and its President, as the elected leader of this, the largest and most democratic organ of the United Nations. While some may regard revitalization as a technical process, it is, on the contrary, essentially a political undertaking, and one that mandates us to ask: how can we make the General Assembly stronger, more relevant and more impactful vis-à-vis those it is intended to serve? Today we must have both the commitment and the courage to consider and agree solutions that transcend the business-as-usual approach, considering that the challenges before us hardly qualify to be considered either routine or normal. As we set our sights on commencing, in earnest, the preparations for the Summit of the Future, to be held in September 2024, what can the General Assembly do to revitalize itself now and for the future? In these pursuits, we have firm ground on which to build. During the previous session, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly recommended to the Assembly the adoption of the first ever biennialized resolution on General Assembly revitalization (see A/77/942 and resolution 77/335). For their tireless efforts and consequential pioneering achievements as co-facilitators of that process, I take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to Her Excellency Mrs. Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, and His Excellency Mr. Mitchell Fifield, former Permanent Representative of Australia. We honour their work and leadership today. As members will recall, one result of that resolution was a voluntary pledge to limit side events during the general debate — a pledge that, I am pleased to announce, has already garnered the support of 24 Member States. That information is now available on the Office of the President of the General Assembly website. I encourage more Member States and United Nations entities to join in support of that much-needed initiative. Another practical outcome was the strengthening of the Office of the President of the General Assembly through financing and staffing initiatives. For the effective functioning of the Office, it is critical that additional regular budget resources be provided, and I appeal to the Chairs of both the Fifth Committee and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions to ensure that the relevant proposals in that regard are given favourable consideration. Going forward, we have much more to accomplish. In this session, it will be crucial for the Ad Hoc Working Group to advance its work, and I am happy to reconfirm that I have appointed new co-chairs to further build on the solid foundation laid down by their predecessors. In that connection, I should like to thank Her Excellency Ms. Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia, and His Excellency Mr. Cornel Feruţă, Permanent Representative of Romania, for accepting that weighty responsibility. I trust that Member States will extend their full support to the co-chairs as they steer deliberations on the role and authority of the General Assembly, and its working methods, in this session. In that connection, consistent with the practice of my predecessors, it is my intention to utilize the General Committee to coordinate and streamline our work. I will also continue the tradition of convening informal morning dialogues to stimulate creative insights and productive exchanges between and among Member States, United Nations entities and other invited stakeholders, as we continue to ponder solutions — real solutions  — to today’s complex global challenges. For the seventy-eighth session, I have dubbed those informal encounters gayap dialogues  — the word “gayap” being drawn from the indigenous Caribbean expression in Trinidad and Tobago meaning “many hands make light work”. Just this morning, I engaged with Member States in the first gayap dialogue of this session on strengthening media engagement with the General Assembly. I heard strong interest in making the Assembly’s work more accessible, understandable and meaningful to the general public, including by utilizing traditional media channels. Like any well-run institution with an eye to longevity, the General Assembly must adapt itself to the times in order to stay relevant, credible and authoritative. Let us therefore use this session to generate fresh, innovative ideas and strategies to better position and empower the General Assembly to deliver for peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability and to implement what has already been agreed. By revitalizing the General Assembly, we are acting to strengthen our multilateral system as a whole by ensuring that it is more inclusive and representative of all stakeholders, working with respect and collegiality towards meaningful outcomes for the people we serve and, ultimately, returning our politics to the domain of dignity that Martinique philosopher Edouard Glissant once envisioned. Let us all exhibit a high level of motivation and engagement in that vital endeavour.

I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this important debate. Malaysia speaks on behalf of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). We would like to thank Ambassador Egriselda González López of El Salvador and Ambassador Mitchell Fifield of Australia as former co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly. We remain committed to our support and cooperation in the process and welcome Ambassador Cornel Feruţă of Romania and Ambassador Menissa Rambally of Saint Lucia as co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group at the seventy- eighth session of the General Assembly. ASEAN recognizes the primacy of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative and policy-making and most representative organ of the United Nations. The Assembly is a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues, and its revitalization is therefore key to enhancing the overall effectiveness of the United Nations. We firmly believe that a revitalized General Assembly will further bring more credibility, representation and dynamism to global policymaking in the United Nations system. As we strive to address common challenges through a reinvigorated multilateralism, a revitalized General Assembly is vital to deliberation on such urgent global issues as climate change and global health crises. On that note, ASEAN welcomes the adoption of resolution 77/335 on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. We assert the need to enhance the role, effectiveness and efficiency of the Assembly, with a focus on the four clusters of the Ad Hoc Working Group. In that regard, ASEAN would like to emphasize the following. First, with regard to the role and authority of the General Assembly, ASEAN supports the call for gender parity and geographical balance in intergovernmental processes. Secondly, with regard to working methods, ASEAN underscores the importance of streamlining the agenda of the General Assembly to avoid duplications and overlaps. We need to prioritize and consolidate issues for a more focused debate. There is also a need for a mechanism to review the implementation of resolutions that the Assembly adopts. Implementation of resolutions is the true test of our commitments. Thirdly, with regard to the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General, ASEAN is of the view that we should ensure a transparent and inclusive selection process, in line with resolution 77/335. We reiterate the call to encourage the nomination of women candidates for the position of Secretary-General and other executive leadership positions. Nominations for such positions should strive to achieve balance in gender and geographical representation. Finally, to strengthen the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, ASEAN commends the convening of the third transition workshop for the Office on 1 September 2023. The workshop aimed to support the smooth transition between presidencies and provide a platform for the sharing of information, best practices and experiences. ASEAN welcomes the request contained in the resolution for the Secretary-General to propose additional positions at the Office of the President of the General Assembly. Taking into account the extensive activities and engagement of the President of the General Assembly, those additional posts are necessary to equip the Office with adequate human and financial resources through the regular budget. ASEAN has a further recommendation to make in connection with efforts to improve the working methods of the Main Committees of the General Assembly. The principles of transparency and accountability are important in the work of the United Nations. However, as Member States and the Secretariat are aware, the First Committee has a tradition or practice of not disclosing the name of the Member State or Member States that requested votes on paragraphs or resolutions as a whole, in spite of requests by other Member States. ASEAN notes that rules 87 and 127 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly provide only that a recorded vote may be requested by any representative. In that regard, Member States have no way of determining the veracity of such a call if they are unable to know which representative has made it. Non-disclosure of such information is inconsistent with the United Nations principles of transparency and openness, which are crucial to building trust and confidence. We believe that that issue merits further discussion, in the spirit of enhancing consistency in the application of the General Assembly’s rules of procedure and in the practices of its Main Committees. In that regard, ASEAN underlines the importance of upholding the principles of transparency and accountability across all Main Committees. Doing so should include a standardized practice on disclosing information on Member States that call for a vote on paragraphs and draft resolutions. ASEAN further commends the live webcasting of various meetings at the United Nations, which contributes to improving transparency and accountability. At the same time, we should be mindful of the need to uphold such important principles as respect for privacy and dignity, which would be violated through displaying of inappropriate photographic or video footage during deliberations of the General Assembly, especially when they are being broadcast to the public. We sincerely hope that appropriate steps will be considered and taken by the General Assembly to help prevent and deal effectively with such actions in the future in order to safeguard the dignity and decorum of the Assembly. The revitalization of the work of the General Assembly is in all our interest. It will further ensure that its work delivers on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To that end, ASEAN remains committed to strengthening the revitalization process and to working with others during the next session in the Ad Hoc Working Group. With bold reforms and renewed commitments, we can restore the centrality of the General Assembly in global governance.

I am honoured to take the floor on behalf of the 27 members of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency (ACT) group. I thank you, Mr. President, for convening this debate on the revitalization of the General Assembly. We also sincerely thank Ambassador González López of El Salvador and Ambassador Fifield of Australia, co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly at its last session, and their teams for their committed efforts and for guiding our work towards the adoption of the relevant resolution (resolution 77/335) in September. The ACT group congratulates Romania and Ambassador Cornel Feruță, and Saint Lucia and Ambassador Menissa Rambally, on their appointment as co-chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group for the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly. In September, we adopted resolution 77/335. We now kindly ask the President of the General Assembly to work in close collaboration with the Secretariat and Member States towards its swift implementation. In the cluster “Role and authority of the General Assembly”, the recently adopted revitalization resolution recognizes the General Assembly’s Charter- mandated role in peace and security — a role we have seen becoming ever more important. In times when a main organ responsible for international peace and security is unable to fulfil its mandate in key areas, the General Assembly bears a special responsibility to step up to protect the Charter of the United Nations. In that regard, we have seen the General Assembly step up when a veto is cast in the Security Council. The veto initiative is crucial to ensuring accountability within the United Nations system and has further strengthened the role of the General Assembly. We have also seen the relevance of the uniting for peace resolution (resolution 377 (V)). We look forward to the implementation of paragraph 30 of the revitalization resolution, which asks the President of the General Assembly to create a digital handbook on the practices and situations in which the General Assembly has had a relevant role in peace and security. We hope that that will better equip the General Assembly to take on its role in the future. We are pleased that two thirds of Member States are now signatories to the ACT group’s Code of Conduct regarding Security Council action against genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes and encourage others to sign it. We encourage the current 130 signatories to take their responsibility seriously. We would encourage signatories on the Council  — which, for many years, have constituted a procedural majority  — to work together to initiate discussions and products. Under the cluster “Role and authority of the General Assembly”, the ACT group will also continue to stress the importance of the annual report of the Security Council to the General Assembly. Paragraph 25 of the most recent resolution recognizes the importance of the timely submission of the report to the General Assembly to enable scheduling its consideration by the General Assembly no later than June of each year. We would welcome the report even earlier than the Council deadline in May to ensure a timely and relevant review of the Council’s work by the General Assembly. The ACT group further considers that there is also scope to improve the process of preparation of the report. An exchange of views, such as a debate with the wider membership, should be organized in line with paragraph 129 of presidential note S/2017/507 to assess the work of the Council ahead of the drafting of the report’s introduction. We continue to encourage the Council to provide a more complete, substantive and analytical account of its work to the General Assembly, including further details on the draft resolutions that failed to be adopted by the Council. In that regard, we regret that it was not possible for the General Assembly to recommend to the Council the addition of a dedicated chapter on the veto in the annual report, which would contain an analysis of the cases in which the veto has been exercised. We hope that the Council will take up that idea in the next report. We commend the references and links to the special reports in the 2022 annual report, but we believe that, in the light of Article 24, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, a stand-alone chapter should also be included on special reports, whether they result from the implementation of resolution 76/262 or not. That could also be achieved by bringing the process of the Council’s adoption of special reports in line with the same procedure as that of the annual report itself. The ACT group welcomes the practice by the President of the General Assembly to assess the Assembly’s debate on the Security Council report and transmit a summary of the recommendations to Member States and to the Security Council. We encourage the Council to formally consider that summary and follow up on the suggestions and observations of the general membership. The ACT group also wishes to encourage the timely compilation and use of the monthly assessments by Council presidencies. As such assessments do not represent the views of the Council as a whole, but rather the view of the presidency of the month, their substance should not be reduced to the lowest common denominator. We welcome the reference to a live list of speakers for Security Council open debates outlined in operative paragraph 29 of the latest resolution on revitalization. The list should be broadly circulated well ahead of time  — no later than one day before  — in order to facilitate the greater involvement of the membership as a whole. During the previous session, we made some progress when it comes to the selection of the Secretary- General. We encouraged Member States to have in mind that a woman has yet to assume the position of Secretary-General; we agreed to create a repository of past selections and appointments; we agreed on some new language on elements to start the process and invited future candidates to voluntarily disclose funding sources of their campaigns. However, the ACT group underlines that we need a clear and much more predictable timeline for the overall process. That was a stark omission from our most recent resolution, which must be addressed as a matter of priority during the seventy-ninth session, ahead of the next selection process. Agreeing on an indicative time frame for the process would ease procedural burdens and improve the clarity of the process for Member States and candidates alike.

I have the privilege to address the Assembly today on behalf of Canada, New Zealand and my own country, Australia (CANZ). At the outset, we would like to congratulate Ambassador Feruță of Romania and Ambassador Rambally of Saint Lucia on their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly during the seventy-eighth session. We appreciate the responsibility they have been charged with and wish them all the best in that important task. Last session, the Assembly adopted resolution 77/335, an ambitious and action-oriented resolution that built on the achievements of the seventy-seventh session and previous sessions and delivered progress on long-standing issues to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the General Assembly. CANZ was pleased to see the strengthening of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and recognition of the breadth of mandates that the Office delivers. That will strengthen the institutional memory and capacity of the Office, to the benefit of us all. The voluntary pledge to limit the number of side events held in the margins of the general debate is a perfect example of a small step taken in revitalization that, over time, can build to have normative impact. And a potential scheduling impact mechanism to de-conflict high-level meetings before they are mandated is an outcome that will see immediate benefits to the work of the General Assembly this session. CANZ is pleased to see that the role and authority of the General Assembly in matters of international peace and security were recognized last session. Given the discussions that have taken place in the Assembly over the past weeks, we are even more cognizant of the significance of strengthening the efficiency and efficacy of the Assembly in all its work. We also commend the important progress made in enhancing the transparency of the selection process of the Secretary-General. CANZ firmly supports the commitments agreed last session to recognize, encourage and strive for gender parity across the United Nations. However, one item remains  — CANZ is disappointed that we were not able to include women in the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. Seventy-eight years into the Organization’s history, the important role that women have played, do play and will continue to play in international diplomacy and in the General Assembly should be reflected in the rules that govern this organ. CANZ is determined that this correction should eventually happen so that our rules accurately reflect the representative character of the Assembly. We encourage all Member States to continue to build on the progress that was made last session in that endeavour. Our new co-Chairs and all delegations must focus our efforts this session to progress the implementation of the outcomes from resolution 77/335 and previous revitalization resolutions. Revitalization is a long-term process, with change achieved incrementally. CANZ remains committed to engaging constructively and transparently in the General Assembly revitalization process and to ensure an Assembly that is efficient and effective and fit for purpose now and into the future.

I now give the floor to the representative of the European Union, in its capacity as observer.

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union (EU) and its member States. The candidate countries Türkiye, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina; the potential candidate country Georgia; as well as Andorra and Monaco, align themselves with this statement. First, allow me to thank you, Mr. President, for your commitment to continuing the excellent work of your predecessor, President Csaba Kőrösi, on the revitalization of the General Assembly. The EU remains a staunch supporter of the revitalization process and looks forward to working closely with you on this important file. Let me also congratulate the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia on their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly during the seventy-eighth session. We also would like to express our deep appreciation to the co-Chairs of the previous session, the Ambassadors of El Salvador and Australia, for steering an ambitious and consensual resolution 77/335 in September. I would like to highlight six key wins from that resolution. First, we agreed to further streamline the General Assembly agenda, including via a voluntary pledge to limit the number of side events, in particular during high-level-week. It will be important that we use this pledge to keep the focus of high-level week on the general debate. Secondly, we agreed to provide the necessary resources to the Office of the President of the General Assembly, enabling the Office to deal with its increased mandates. Thirdly, we also made important progress towards improving the transparency and accountability of the Secretary-General selection process, laying the ground for the process that will determine the next Secretary-General. The main element of that process is to demonstrate to the outside world — to our citizens and civil society — that the selection and appointment process for that highest office adheres to the highest standards in terms of open, inclusive and transparent conduct and leads to the selection of the best candidate. Fourthly, we have made further advances towards gender equality, both by calling on the President of the General Assembly to ensure gender balance when it comes to high-level speakers and panellists as well as a renewed call to Member States to nominate female candidates for the position of President. We say this at every meeting, but so far only four out of 78 Presidents have been women. That must change. Fifthly, we have recognized the Assembly’s role in peace and security, including through the adoption of resolution 76/262, which gives it a standing mandate to convene a debate when a veto is cast, and the need for close interaction with the Security Council in that area. Last but not least, we have also eventually managed to include strong language on improved accessibility to the United Nations for persons with disabilities. We can build on those successes in the next draft resolution, to be submitted two years from now. To do that, we must turn our efforts to implementing what has been agreed on and look to where we can do better. For one thing, we should refrain from thinking and working only in silos in our work in the General Assembly. For example, human rights are not just an isolated issue for the Third Committee alone. We reiterate our commitment to including human rights as a cross- cutting issue throughout our work. While advances towards gender equality have been made, further progress is needed, including by bringing the rules of procedure in line with today’s realities. For example, it is regrettable that there has never been a female Secretary-General. As Secretary- General Guterres stated in Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), women and girls must be put at the centre. The processes and procedures of the General Assembly must continue to be streamlined and adapted to ensure that this body works as effectively as it can to address major global issues. We have seen the benefits of biennialization. It has given us the space to discuss issues in greater depth without the pressure of having to consider a resolution. We will therefore encourage further biennialization, triennialization, clustering and elimination of agenda items. Furthermore, we encourage you, Mr. President, to continue the initiatives of your predecessors and to hold regular town halls and impactful consultations with civil society organizations, youth representatives, science-based knowledge centres and other relevant stakeholders. Strengthening multilingualism, which is a core value of the Organization, is another way to ensure that it remains inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible. Finally, the EU hopes that through constructive engagement we can come together to address those issues at the next big summits next year, including the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference, the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States and, of course, the Summit of the Future. The Summit is a major opportunity to strengthen multilateralism, including through the revitalization of the General Assembly. The EU stands ready to contribute to that process to ensure that the Assembly and the United Nations system as a whole are fit to deal with the challenges we face. We encourage active collaboration on the Summit and look forward to engaging on it with the whole United Nations membership, civil society, young people and other stakeholders. The Assembly can count on the EU’s constructive engagement.

We appreciate the convening of this important debate, which is perhaps one of the most important of this session. Costa Rica aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Estonia on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, and I would like to highlight six points in my national capacity. First, we reiterate our sincerest thanks to Ambassador Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, and Ambassador Mitch Fifield, former Permanent Representative of Australia, and their teams for their courageous and committed leadership as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly during the previous session. They have left an extraordinary legacy in that important process. Part of that legacy was the ambitious yet appropriate resolution submitted by the former co-facilitators. Although the text of resolution 77/335, adopted on 1 September, failed to reflect the will of what was an overwhelming majority of the General Assembly, owing to the opposition of the non-elected members of the Security Council, it is promising, and we hope it will be a turning point for the negotiation and adoption of a historic resolution during the seventy-ninth session. We wish to place on record once again our condemnation of the de facto extension of the veto into the General Assembly created by the permanent members of the Security Council during the previous negotiations. We deplore their narrow, selfish role and their continued failure to fulfil their functions in the Council. However, we appreciate the constructive and proactive role played by negotiating groups such as the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand, the European Union and the delegations of Japan, Brazil and all who engaged in respectful, good-faith negotiations. For my second point, I want to encourage everyone to work together in order to give renewed impetus to this process during this session. In that regard, I would like to congratulate Ambassadors Menissa Rambally and Cornel Feruță, the Permanent Representatives of Saint Lucia and Romania, on becoming co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group for this session, and to wish them every success in translating the growing momentum into action. We are pleased that once again a representative from our region will continue this extremely important work alongside a great colleague and friend, a choice whose excellent combination of gender parity and regional balance bodes well for the continuation of the process. I want to take this opportunity to invite the new co-Chairs to be true ambassadors for revitalization and to continue with the great ambition and courage shown by their predecessors, who were equal to their task. The bar is high, but we are confident that they will do an excellent job and I want to assure them of Costa Rica’s full support. For my third point, I call for the text of the resolution to be translated into concrete action. We are in the implementation phase of resolution 77/335, and we urge efforts to be made in that regard by the Member States, the Secretariat and especially you, Mr. President, whose leadership is crucial to its full implementation. With regard to the cluster on the role and authority of the General Assembly, we welcome initiatives that can enable Member States to reflect on and explore the relationship between the Security Council and the Assembly. We support recognizing the importance of holding interactive and inclusive thematic debates on current issues of critical importance to the international community. The Council’s open debate earlier this year on sea level rise (see S/PV.9260) was a good example of the implementation of that provision. We commend the Office of the President of the General Assembly in that regard and hope it will continue to be made use of in future. We also note the adoption of various paragraphs on gender parity, in particular for co-Chairs and co-facilitators in the intergovernmental processes, as well as for speakers and panellists at all General Assembly meetings. Gender parity is the bottom line, not the ceiling. It is the minimum that we should aspire to, which is why we urge you, Mr. President, to spare no effort in ensuring it. In that regard, Costa Rica would like to highlight the recent meeting of the General Assembly Platform of Women Leaders, which took place on 26 September, and we encourage working closely with the Gender Advisory Board. Fourthly, and in relation to working methods, Costa Rica urges delegations to conduct an exhaustive review of the provisions of resolution 77/335. The working methods of all the Main Committees need substantive improvement. We also need to see improved coordination among and between the Committee Bureaux, as well as with their respective secretariats and with the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management. Small delegations like ours continue to face clashes of meetings on similar topics every day, and even more worrisomely, of votes on draft resolutions held at the same time as elections to subsidiary bodies, as we have recently experienced. In that regard, we emphasize the central role that the General Assembly Bureau should play in improving the coordination of the work of all Committees. Fifthly, Costa Rica highlights the importance of making progress in strengthening the Office of the President of the General Assembly. It is vital that the addition of positions financed from the regular budget be completed as soon as possible, as it is one of the best ways to strengthen the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. When we can strengthen that institutional memory by establishing a stable professional body that benefits all Member States equally, we foster more equal conditions and level the playing field for States. It also eliminates disparities between delegations, especially where access to information is concerned, and it reduces the loss of acquired capabilities, generates continuity and increases the quality of the advice that whoever occupies the presidency can receive. Finally, we should not neglect the issue of nominations. With regard to the positions of the President of the General Assembly and Chairs of the Main Committees, we invite States and regional groups to prioritize nominating women. In the 78 years that this organ — the most important deliberative body in the world  — has existed, only four have been led by women. Currently, of the 16 elected Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly Bureau, only one is a woman, Ambassador Yoka Brandt of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while only one of the six Main Committees is chaired by a woman, Ambassador Mathu Joyini of South Africa. When the next Secretary-General takes office, on 1 January 2027, more than 80 years will have passed without a woman at the helm of this Organization. I reiterate once again that the next Secretary-General must be a woman. We have a long road ahead to achieve gender parity and we reiterate our firm call to States to nominate women for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations. The selection process should begin without delay after the adoption of the next draft resolution of the Ad Hoc Working Group, which should address the set of pending issues raised in the preceding biennial period, including reforms to guarantee the fair, open and inclusive appointment of the next Secretary- General, as well as for other executive positions. In conclusion, I want to highlight the language adopted in resolution 77/335 that recognizes the functions and powers of the General Assembly in matters related to international peace and security. The importance of that recognition has once again been demonstrated through the role that the Assembly has assumed in matters of international peace and security in the face of the ineffectiveness, lack of political will and abuse of the veto by non-elected members of the Security Council. The General Assembly has proved that it is more up to the task in that regard. Costa Rica hopes that the Ad Hoc Working Group will not only consolidate the role of the General Assembly but also develop it, in order to unlock the Assembly’s untapped potential to address more issues related to international peace and security.

At the outset, my delegation would like to express its gratitude to you, Mr. President, for convening today’s joint debate on the agenda items entitled “Implementation of the resolutions of the United Nations” and “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”. We warmly congratulate Ms. Menissa Rambally and Mr. Cornel Feruță, the Permanent Representatives of Saint Lucia and Romania, on their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly. I also want to take this opportunity to commend and acknowledge the remarkable work done by the Ad Hoc Working Group’s outgoing co-Chairs, Ms. Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, and Mr. Mitchell Fifield, former Permanent Representative of Australia. The purposes and principles set forth in the Charter of the United Nations guide our conduct of international relations. In that context, we emphasize the importance of rigorous implementation of the provisions of the Charter, in particular with regard to respect for the prerogatives of each body. The aim is to avoid interfering with or encroaching on the various functions and powers of the Main Committees, thereby contributing to the effective revitalization of our General Assembly. For Morocco, the process of revitalizing the work of the General Assembly is closely linked to overall reform of our Organization. In that connection, we reiterate our support for the important reforms introduced by the Secretary-General that strengthen our capacity to cope with the complex and multidimensional developments of today’s world. The revitalization of the General Assembly, as the main deliberative and decision-making organ of the United Nations, plays a pivotal role in the Organization’s overall reform and in strengthening multilateralism. We welcome the decision to modify rule 1 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, which enabled it to begin its seventy-eighth session a week earlier. We await with interest the Secretariat’s assessment of the effects of that modification and will participate actively during the next session in examining the possibilities of opening the ordinary session even earlier. We also welcome the tangible and constructive progress made in recent years in revitalizing the General Assembly, thanks to our joint efforts and the successful completion of initiatives emanating from the Ad Hoc Working Group. We encourage all Member States to continue in the same spirit in order to consolidate the achievements of previous sessions. We especially welcome the positive results that we were able to achieve through resolution 77/335, in particular through the recognition of the importance of strengthening institutional memory and the establishment of a searchable online repository of the Working Group’s recommendations, which notably will include previous reports and tables going back to the sixty-second session. We are pleased with the measures taken by the Secretariat, and the Department of General Assembly and Conference Management in particular, to implement the decisions of the General Assembly relating to its revitalization and ensure that our meetings and other activities within the Organization are conducted in the best possible conditions. We also commend the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance on its outstanding work to ensure the budgetary balances necessary for the proper functioning of the Organization. Morocco welcomes the new practice of providing a list of speakers in real time for General Assembly and Security Council debates. With regard to strengthening the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, we look forward to the implementation of the proposal for creating additional permanent posts, beginning in 2024. We believe that the Office of the President of the most representative body of the United Nations should have the necessary human and financial resources it needs to implement its mandate on behalf of our General Assembly. It is no longer acceptable that the Office should have to rely on voluntary contributions in terms of both human resources and funding. We must continue working for greater synergy and coherence between the agenda items of the Main Committees and ensuring that the agenda of the General Assembly aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We support efforts to increase gender parity within the United Nations and welcome the Secretary-General’s commitment to ensuring gender equality at all levels of the Organization. It has had concrete results, notably within the ranks of senior United Nations officials, where full gender parity has been entrenched and achieved. Morocco also welcomes efforts to make the selection and appointment process for the Secretary-General and other senior United Nations officials more inclusive, transparent and efficient, while ensuring continuity in the implementation of the bold reforms launched by the current Secretary-General. In conclusion, I would like to remind everyone that the process of revitalizing the work of the General Assembly demands a continuing commitment on the part of all Member States, as well as genuine political will. Morocco reaffirms its commitment to continuing to contribute effectively and constructively to the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly.

My delegation aligns itself with the statement made by the representative of Malaysia, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the statement to be delivered by the representative of Algeria, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We congratulate Ambassadors Cornel Feruță and Menissa Rambally, the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia, on their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, and assure them of our delegation’s support. We also thank their predecessors, Ambassadors Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, and Mitch Fifield, the former Permanent Representative of Australia, for their leadership during the previous session. When we had this debate a year ago (see A/77/ PV.30), my delegation observed that we were living in troubled times and that the Security Council had not always been able to discharge its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Recent developments have shown that this is still the case, and those challenges are layered on top of what Secretary-General António Guterres has termed the triple planetary crises of climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution. In order to address those challenges, we need a strong, rules-based multilateral system, ready for the future, with the United Nations at its core. In turn, the United Nations needs a strong and revitalized General Assembly at its core. It is the only United Nations organ with universal representation, in which all Member States, regardless of size, have an equal role and voice. Although not binding, General Assembly resolutions play an important role in setting norms, creating standards, developing international law and expressing the collective will of nations. That is why Singapore has constantly advocated for and strongly supported revitalizing the General Assembly. Allow me to make two observations and three suggestions. In terms of observations, I am pleased that the Ad Hoc Working Group has achieved some tangible results. First, we have brought forward the opening of the General Assembly by a week, giving more time to incoming Presidents of the General Assembly and Chairs of the Main Committee to plan, prepare and coordinate. Secondly, paragraph 88 of resolution 77/335 requests that “[T]he Secretary-General to submit a proposal ... on additional positions, funded through the regular budget, and on extending the current overlap period by an additional month for all general temporary assistance positions in the Office of the President of the General Assembly”. That was strongly supported by my delegation, which worked with many in this Hall to uphold the boldness and ambition of the previous co-Chairs, who inserted the proposal in the zero draft. Let us now work to carry out our collective undertaking and ensure that those positions are adequately resourced. In terms of suggestions, my first point is that we should uphold transparency and apply the rules of procedure in both the letter and the spirit. My delegation was recently dismayed, in an echo of the sentiment expressed in the ASEAN statement, that a simple request for information about a country that had called for a recorded vote in the First Committee was not responded to because of an unusual practice of anonymity that began 12 years ago. Practices such as permitting anonymous requests for recorded votes go against the United Nations principles of transparency and openness and do not help build trust and confidence among Member States. It will be important for all Member States to address that issue in the relevant Committee and in the next iteration of the General Assembly’s revitalization resolution. Secondly, and relatedly, we should go further to ensure that the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General is indeed guided by the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, as stressed in paragraph 58 of resolution 77/335. As mentioned in our 30 June statement (see A/77/PV.86) concerning the annual report of the Security Council (A/77/2), my delegation put forward a proposal during negotiations on resolution 77/335 for outlining and describing the process for the selection of the Secretary-General. It was a simple proposal, intended to introduce greater transparency in that selection. It was regrettable that the Council’s five permanent members blocked it ostensibly because they saw it as a threat to their privilege of making decisions behind closed doors. I urge the permanent five members to see such proposals in a different and positive light, in line with the sentiments expressed in resolution 77/335. Lastly, as many delegations have expressed, we need to protect the primacy of the general debate during the high-level week. The proliferation of high- level meetings was particularly acute during the high- level week of the General Assembly at its seventy- eighth session. It is impossible for small countries with small delegations to follow the debate and participate meaningfully in a plethora of parallel events. I urge all delegations to uphold the principles that we agreed on in annex II to resolution 77/335 and to voluntarily limit the load that we put on the high-level week. A better United Nations will benefit us all. Let us keep working to revitalize the work of the Assembly and enhance its credibility, accountability and effectiveness in order to uphold the primacy of the General Assembly as the most inclusive and representative organ of the United Nations for the benefit of each and every one of us.

My delegation would like to express its sincere gratitude to Ambassadors Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, and Mitch Fifield, former Permanent Representative of Australia, for their exceptional leadership as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session. Let me also congratulate the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia on their appointment as co-Chairs at the seventy- eighth session. The role of the United Nations in the international arena is more relevant than ever today as we are confronted by a multitude of peace and security crises. It is imperative that the United Nations stands committed to saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war, as is stated in the very first words of the Charter of the United Nations. It is equally crucial for our Organization to preserve its reputation as a centre of multilateral engagement fostering peaceful dialogue and maintaining global stability. We are convening here today in the most challenging of times. Our global community is currently bearing witness to a heartbreaking humanitarian tragedy, one that has left our brothers and sisters in Palestine suffering in deep pain and anguish. And as we stand in solidarity with Palestine, we are disappointed by the Security Council’s inability to hold countries accountable and find definitive solutions to the world’s most pressing peace and security situations. Considering that reality, the Maldives believes that the role played by the General Assembly and its moral authority has become far more critical in defending the principles of the Charter and strengthening our rules-based multilateral system. It is the Assembly that is at the heart of the United Nations, empowering all Member States by serving as their principal representative organ. It is the place where all countries, regardless of their size or strength, have an equal opportunity to voice their concerns and actively contribute to formulating policy and deliberating on global affairs. Last month, amid growing criticism of the Security Council’s inaction, the Assembly reconvened its tenth emergency special session, adopting a landmark resolution (resolution ES-10/21) urging for resolute action to halt the violence against innocent Palestinian civilians. The resolution, which my delegation was proud to sponsor, urged for an immediate, enduring and sustainable humanitarian truce in Gaza. Pursuant to the Uniting for Peace resolution (resolution 377 A (V)), 120 Member States rallied behind the call. Building on the Assembly’s efforts, we call on the Security Council to unite and act decisively to uphold its primary mandate under the Charter, the maintenance of international peace and security. Last year, with 83 Member States, we also sponsored another significant resolution to hold the permanent members of the Security Council accountable for their use of the veto. Resolution 76/262 reaffirms the General Assembly’s authority, ensures that it can demand debate on crucial issues when the Security Council does not act and reinforces the credibility of the United Nations and the efficacy of the multilateral system. The Maldives firmly believes that enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the General Assembly is crucial to bolstering the legitimacy of the United Nations and the multilateral system. To that end, the revitalization of the General Assembly’s operations is a key element of the broader reform agenda of the Organization. We welcome the efforts to reinforce synergy, coherence and complementarity between the agendas of the Assembly and its Main Committees and those of the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies. We also support regular interaction and enhanced coordination between the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, and we encourage that practice to continue. However, we acknowledge that much remains to be done in the revitalization process. Numerous resolutions are repeated annually, often with minimal substantive changes and without effective mechanisms to evaluate their execution. As emphasized in the report of the Secretary-General on Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), our primary emphasis should be on implementing existing resolutions, and that means we have a pressing need to slim down and simplify the content and quantity of resolutions. We should persist in our commitment to adopt a biennial approach and to streamline resolutions, which would enable us to allocate resources more efficiently to address urgent priorities, notably the tangible steps required to attain the Sustainable Development Goals. Gender equality and inclusivity are core values of the Maldives, and we express our strong support and appreciation for the consistent and dedicated efforts aimed at achieving gender balance and ensuring equitable geographical representation in the appointment of Chairs and members of the Bureaux of the Main Committees, as well as among invited speakers and panellists. My delegation firmly supports the continued practice of appointing co-Chairs and co-facilitators with one representative each from a developing and a developed nation, to ensure balanced representation and equity in our collaborative efforts. By ensuring that individuals from varied regions and backgrounds have that opportunity, we can tap into a wider range of perspectives, expertise and experiences. That commitment to diversity not only enhances the Organization’s credibility but also serves as a model for promoting inclusivity and gender equality on a global scale. While the Maldives welcomes the notable progress made in the selection and appointment process of the Secretary-General, there is much work to be done. In that regard, Member States should consider nominating more women for that crucial post. The time is ripe for the United Nations to have a female Secretary-General. In conclusion, it has been more than three decades since the issue of the revitalization of the General Assembly was first put on its agenda. But while my delegation recognizes the progress that has been made so far in revitalizing the General Assembly’s work, it is clear that as Member States, it is incumbent on us to continue to contribute to the revitalization of this vital policymaking body within the world’s only truly universal global organization. The Maldives stands ready to actively engage in all initiatives aimed at reforming the United Nations and reinvigorating the spirit of multilateralism.

My delegation aligns itself with the statement to be delivered by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. South Africa would like to thank the President for convening today’s joint debate and to express its gratitude to the outgoing co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, Ambassadors Mitchell Fifield, former Permanent Representative of Australia, and Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, for guiding us through the process during the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly, culminating in its adoption of resolution 77/335. We also welcome the appointment of Ambassadors Cornel Feruță and Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia, as the new co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group. The adoption of resolution 77/335, under the able leadership of the co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group process, proves that an ambitious approach building on a two-year process can result in tangible outcomes for revitalizing the work of the General Assembly. The areas covered by this updated biennial resolution included significant strides in reinforcing the role and authority of the General Assembly; the working methods of the General Assembly; the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive Heads; and the strengthening of the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. South Africa has articulated its positions in each of those areas, consistent with its view on the importance of the General Assembly, as enshrined and envisaged in the Charter of the United Nations. We must collectively do all we can to reinforce the role of the General Assembly, including through the rationalization of its work and by providing the necessary resources commensurate with the Assembly’s role as the principal organ and most representative body of the United Nations in accordance with the Charter. The Assembly should therefore be supported by an Office of the President of the General Assembly with sufficient resources from the regular budget, considering that the capability of the Office also relies on the human resources and capacities provided to the Office. At the same time, it should advance women as candidates for the position of President of the General Assembly, especially given the very limited number of women Presidents we have had to date. We welcome the additional support provided in resolution 77/335 to the vital Office of the President of the General Assembly, which reflects the necessity for full support to it in enabling the Assembly’s execution of its mandates. That support will not only vindicate the efforts to strengthen the role of the President of the General Assembly but will also reflect the belief in the importance of that Office. To reduce the strain on the General Assembly itself and enable delegations’ effective participation, South Africa supports streamlining the work of the United Nations through appropriate coordination among the principal organs and their agendas and by rationalizing the number of outcomes we produce. An important aspect of the working methods of the General Assembly is the call made in resolution 77/335 for the Main Committees to harmonize their work and benefit from one another’s best practices. That will be key to ensuring that the purposes of multilateralism, based on inclusivity, transparency and political accountability, are met. We should do all we can to prevent the General Assembly and its Main Committees from continuing to adopt practices that could lead to greater division and instead encourage practices that improve the possibilities for fostering dialogue, unity and consensus before the Assembly takes action on draft resolutions. South Africa is concerned about the increasing trend of resorting to recorded votes rather than attempting to genuinely resolve differences before draft resolutions are finalized. Such practices negate the potential for reaching the long-term viable solutions that the collective membership of the General Assembly should be seeking. We believe that more transparency in these processes represents a way to encourage greater dialogue, collaboration and cooperation, as envisaged in the Charter of the United Nations, in order to better serve the purposes of multilateralism. Regarding the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other senior executives, it is our firm belief that the General Assembly’s authority must be respected. The Security Council should therefore be called on to submit more than one name for the General Assembly’s consideration, and the Assembly should seriously reflect on and consider appointing future Secretaries-General for a term that is longer but single and not renewable. The current practice diminishes the Assembly’s role in the appointment, as only one candidate is put forward, rendering the Assembly a mere rubber stamp in the process of the Security Council’s appointment of the Secretary-General. Finally, we would like to acknowledge that resolution 77/335 notably includes its annex II, which provides for a voluntary pledge on limiting side events. South Africa has signed the voluntary pledge in order to signal the importance of addressing the challenge of excessive side events on the margins of major United Nations high-level meetings. We look forward to once again engaging in the biennial process of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly during the seventy- eighth session of the General Assembly. We commit to a spirit of multilateralism with a view to collectively contributing to a revitalized General Assembly, which is urgently needed in view of the many cross-cutting challenges affecting humankind.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries (NAM), one of the largest cross-regional groups, consisting of 120 Member States. NAM would like to thank the President for his leadership and for convening this meeting, which enables us to have a joint debate on both the implementation of United Nations resolutions and the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. We would also like to congratulate Ambassadors Cornel Feruţă and Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia, for their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, and we look forward to working with them. And I would like to thank Ambassadors Mitchell Fifield, the former Permanent Representative of Australia, and Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, for their excellent leadership and dedication to the revitalization process during the past two sessions of the General Assembly. Recalling the Declaration on the Commemoration of the Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the United Nations, we affirm our commitment to strengthening the United Nations system and to continuing the work of the revitalization of the General Assembly. NAM considers it important to sustain momentum on this issue, which remains a crucial priority. It is also an occasion to uphold the universal values and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and to ensure that our Organization is fit for purpose. The revitalization of the Assembly is indeed a critical component of the comprehensive reform of the United Nations. A revitalized General Assembly will significantly contribute to strengthening the wider role of the United Nations system, improving global governance and reinvigorating multilateralism. It also means strengthening democratic values and promoting the concept of equality. In that regard, NAM considers it important to acknowledge that building on the previous achievements of all of the resolutions of the General Assembly on the revitalization of its work has contributed to enhancing its role, authority, efficiency and effectiveness. We believe that sustained efforts and important progress have been achieved in making the General Assembly’s work more focused and relevant. Those efforts should continue, with the support and political will of all Member States, in order to achieve even greater progress and overcome the persistent differences regarding the various issues covered under the four clusters on the agenda of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly. In that regard, a full evaluation of the status of the implementation of the resolutions of the General Assembly and the clear identification of the underlying causes behind any shortcomings in that regard remain important if we are to progressively eliminate the constraints that continue to prevent the process of revitalizing the Assembly from living up to its potential. In that connection, we look forward to the discussions during the current session that will focus on the role and authority of the General Assembly and on its working methods, as outlined in resolution 77/335, which was adopted by consensus on 1 September during the seventy-seventh session. In that respect, NAM welcomes the progress that has been made with this resolution, which does indeed reflect the commitment of Member States to a more efficient and revitalized General Assembly by advancing a number of important issues in support of a stronger Organization and a reinvigorated multilateralism. During the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly, Member States made a landmark decision to biennialize the resolution on the revitalization process. The Movement appreciates the fact that concrete steps were agreed on and an action-oriented approach adopted in the resolution and the shift towards its biennialization, presenting an opportunity to focus more on implementation and advancing the goals of efficiency and effectiveness that we all aim to achieve. NAM welcomes recent innovations in the working methods of the Ad Hoc Working Group and through informal interactive dialogues with former Presidents of the General Assembly. We acknowledge important elements contained in this resolution, including those pertaining to the improvement of the working methods of the General Assembly and its Main Committees, the rationalization of side events and high-level meetings held on the margins of the general debate, the streamlining of the General Assembly’s agenda, the initiatives to strengthen the work of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the enhancement of the Assembly’s role in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General. Regarding the role and authority of the Assembly, NAM reaffirms the importance of preserving the intergovernmental, inclusive and democratic nature of the United Nations, as well as the need for strict respect for the Charter-based prerogatives of the Organization’s principal organs and the General Assembly in particular. We continue to call for improving the relationship and interaction between the General Assembly and the Security Council, which are mutually reinforcing and complementary. The Non-Aligned Movement is also of the view that the improvement of working methods is only one step among more substantive efforts aimed at restoring and enhancing the role and authority of the General Assembly. We continue to stress the need to rationalize its work. The number of high-level and side events organized in parallel with the general debate of the General Assembly should be kept to a minimum in order to preserve and strengthen the sanctity of the general debate. Furthermore, we appreciate the fact that the resolution consolidates achievements that have been made with respect to the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General, including through the circulation of a joint letter and the holding of informal dialogues guided by the principles of transparency and inclusiveness. We also welcome the reference to the fact that there we have yet to see a woman Secretary- General. It is equally important to firmly support the further enhancement of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. NAM recognizes the need to conduct an in-depth review of the Office’s functioning during the seventy- ninth session. Finally, NAM continues to believe that we should all collectively continue to build on what has already been achieved and identify areas where we can make further tangible progress so that we can improve the overall work and role of the General Assembly. NAM remains fully engaged in contributing to that common endeavour. We therefore reaffirm our commitment to participating constructively in the process of revitalizing the General Assembly’s work during its current session, with the aim of strengthening its role as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.

Mongolia aligns itself with the statement just made by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. I would like to congratulate Ambassadors Cornel Feruţă and Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia, on their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly during the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly. They have my delegation’s full support in leading the efforts to modernize and revitalize the General Assembly’s operational procedures and produce tangible outcomes. My delegation is pleased with the concrete advances achieved in recent years in revitalizing the General Assembly’s work. The Assembly continues to be our chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ. It is therefore vital to ensure that it remains effective and efficient in fulfilling its functions, as outlined in the Charter of the United Nations. Reviving the General Assembly is a crucial aspect of comprehensive United Nations reform, and there is consequently a need for greater efforts to strengthen it. I would like to highlight the following few points. First, in line with resolution 75/325, we are of the view that it is high time for a woman to be appointed Secretary-General. Gender parity and equal representation are fundamental principles that the United Nations should uphold at its highest levels. Appointing a female Secretary-General would be a significant step towards a more equitable and balanced global governance system. At the same time, we would like to see more women Presidents of the General Assembly. Only four women have been elected President of the Assembly since the Organization was founded. It is also important to continue to give special attention to regional and geographical rotation and to gender equality in order to address imbalances, including the underrepresentation of developing countries in United Nations leadership positions. The goal is to continue to promote the current initiatives aimed at achieving fair geographical representation within the Secretariat, striving to maximize geographic diversity among staff across all departments, offices and levels, including senior positions as the level of Director and higher within the Secretariat. Furthermore, we support increasing the substantial role and authority of the General Assembly. When the Security Council failed to implement its responsibilities effectively, convening the tenth and eleventh emergency special sessions this year was significant. We should continue our efforts to limit the number of high-level events in the margins of the general debate of the General Assembly. Keeping the number of high-level and side events to a minimum is particularly important for the effective participation of small States. It is also crucial for preserving and reinforcing the significance of the general debate. Lastly, I pledge my delegation’s full support and collaboration to achieve important outcomes during this session’s meetings on the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly.

I thank the President for convening today’s joint debate on the implementation of United Nations resolutions, as well as the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. We congratulate Ambassador Mitchell Fifield, former Permanent Representative of Australia and Ambassador Egriselda González López, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, on their significant contributions and stewardship of the revitalization process during the past two General Assembly sessions. We also congratulate Ambassador Cornel Feruță, Permanent Representative of Romania and Ambassador Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia, on their appointment as the new co-Chairs. We are confident that they will make a substantive and pathbreaking contribution to the General Assembly’s revitalization. Pakistan aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, and we would like to add some points in our national capacity. The General Assembly is the only principal organ with universal membership. The Assembly enjoys extensive authority and functions under the Charter of the United Nations, as set out in Articles 10, 11, 12, 14 and 35. The only limitations arise from the primary role of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security, as set out in Article 12. Pakistan welcomes the several recommendations presented during the consultations on this item. We agree that we should rationalize the Assembly’s agenda, amalgamate items and eliminate redundant issues. We also agree that we should streamline resolutions and make them shorter and more action-oriented. The Secretariat’s reports can be further improved. We can better organize the plenary and Main Committee meetings, conduct more focused discussions, avoid side events, adopt more specific decisions and save money. However, the deficits in the Assembly’s performance do not arise from any deficiency in its Charter authority or its working methods. While we need to improve the Assembly’s processes and methods of work, the revitalization of the Assembly is a political issue, not one of process only. The Assembly’s deficiencies arise from the inability and, in large measure, the unwillingness of some of major Member States to allow the Assembly to fully utilize its authority and potential. Under the United Nations Charter, the General Assembly’s role is broad and far-reaching. It covers political, security, economic and social, human rights and humanitarian issues; norm-setting; and treaty- making; as well as the financial and administrative management of the Organization and its Secretariat. The General Assembly, under the Charter, has vast complementary and residual authority in relation to the promotion and preservation of international peace and security. That authority is explicit whenever the Security Council is unable to act or is prevented from acting. That authority was exercised when the Assembly adopted resolution ES-10/21, on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In such circumstances, the voice of the entire membership has not only moral, but also considerable legal force. The Assembly’s recommendations create obligations for the entire international community and the United Nations system. We are glad that the Secretary-General and all United Nations agencies have reflected, in their positions, the Assembly’s call for a ceasefire, humanitarian support and opposition to the displacement of the Palestinian population of Gaza. We hope that the members of the Security Council will also adhere to that resolution. Since the Security Council acts on behalf of the entire United Nations membership, it should report more frequently and comprehensively to the General Assembly, especially whenever the Council authorizes action under Chapter VII of the Charter. We welcome the adoption of resolution 76/262, last year, to convene the Assembly within 10 days after the exercise of a veto in the Security Council. It is only through such oversight by the General Assembly that the Security Council and its members can become more accountable for their positions and advance the objective of democratizing the United Nations. The Assembly’s role with regard to peace and security also extends to addressing the root causes of conflicts and disputes by promoting the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with principles of the United Nations Charter and United Nations resolutions, including through the provisions for mediation, arbitration and good offices. The Assembly also has the principal responsibility to address the so-called “thematic” aspects of peace and security, such as environment and peace; women, peace and security; and the nexus between peace, development and human rights — the three pillars of the United Nations. We call on Council members to restrict the introduction of such thematic issues in the Council, since that erodes the authority and legitimate role of the General Assembly. Such erosion has already occurred in two important areas: non-proliferation and counter-terrorism. We believe that the mandate and work under Security Council resolution 1540 (2004) is limited to enhancing the capacity of Member States and supplementary to the Disarmament Commission, as well as the Conference on Disarmament, which have been assigned the principal responsibility by the General Assembly at its first special session devoted to disarmament. Similarly, the Security Council has established an entire architecture on counter-terrorism, whereas that issue involves the entire United Nations membership, as evident from the adoption of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. The balanced and comprehensive implementation of the Strategy can be best assured by an intergovernmental body working directly under a mandate of the General Assembly. To enhance the credibility of its decisions, the General Assembly should also establish a dedicated mechanism to monitor the implementation of its own resolutions. As a first step, the Secretariat should be requested to submit, within a specific time frame, reports on the status of implementation of General Assembly resolutions. Under Article 11 of the Charter, the General Assembly has explicit powers to encourage the progressive development of international law and its codification. The Assembly’s contributions to establishing global norms have been considerable, including through such landmark documents as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations. Most recently, through its resolution 77/321, the Assembly adopted the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction. It is therefore disturbing that such lawmaking functions are being appropriated by the Security Council through its increasingly frequent adoptions of norms and standards through resolutions under Chapter VII of the Charter. That departure from the Charter’s intentions is further compounded when the Council transforms norms and standards adopted in restrictive and even non-official bodies into international law through the backdoor of such Chapter VII resolutions. International law must be developed, negotiated and adopted in universal forums with the inclusive participation of all Member States. We hope that the General Assembly will reassert its role and that future treaties — whether they are international tax conventions or treaties on development and the environment — will be negotiated and adopted by the Assembly. The Assembly has a further responsibility to promote “international cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, educational and health fields” and “the realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms”. Those functions are now exercised through the Economic and Social Council and United Nations agencies and subsidiary bodies such as the Human Rights Council. What is required here is more effective mechanisms to ensure greater coordination, coherence and implementation of the myriad decisions and commitments in those areas of the Assembly’s responsibilities. Finally, the Assembly is authorized to consider and approve the United Nations budget and arrangements regarding the budgets of various specialized agencies. Efforts to erode the authority and role of the Fifth Committee, the Assembly’s budgetary Committee, must be resisted. The role of the Committee for Programme and Coordination should be strengthened, and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions needs to be told to refrain from taking arbitrary positions in its budgetary recommendations. The Assembly’s administrative role should be further reinforced by requiring the Secretary-General to consult the Assembly on all senior-level appointments, including of Special Representatives and high-level panels, and by ensuring both the highest professional qualifications and equitable geographic and gender representation in such appointments. Ultimately, a special responsibility also rests with the President of the General Assembly, who must ensure the efficient organization and conduct of the Assembly’s work and appoint the most appropriate, qualified and impartial facilitators, coordinators and other office-holders with the concurrence of the relevant geographical and interest groups. The President must obtain full and timely information from such office-holders, other United Nations organs and the Secretariat on the activities of the Organization and endeavour to keep the general membership informed of those activities, perhaps through a dedicated mechanism. In order to enable the President to perform those responsibilities, the Office of the President should be further strengthened with an adequate staff and budget. The Pakistan delegation looks forward to working with our two co-Chairs to promote those objectives and take appropriate decisions through their process on revitalizing the General Assembly at the Summit of the Future and in other United Nations forums.

Allow me to thank the President for convening today’s plenary debate and to take this opportunity to congratulate Ambassadors Menissa Rambally and Cornel Feruță, Permanent Representatives of Saint Lucia and Romania, on their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly. They can count on El Salvador’s full support for their important work. The General Assembly is the main forum for debating and adopting agreements that enable us to face common challenges. The Assembly is also the most representative body of the United Nations, in which all Member States, regardless of their size, population or other characteristics, have an equal voice and vote. The revitalization of the work of the Assembly must therefore be a top priority for all States Members of the United Nations. That is why I want to begin by recalling that the outcomes of the decisions on the revitalization of the Assembly are determined primarily by the Member States. The discussions in the Assembly encompass the three pillars of the work of the entire Organization  — international peace and security, human rights and development. The Assembly’s decisions involve every one of the Member States. That is why the Ad Hoc Working Group is at the heart of our collective efforts to make our Organization stronger and more fit for purpose. Revitalizing the Assembly must translate into building a multilateral system that is relevant, flexible, agile and responsive to global issues. El Salvador, which firmly supports multilateralism and believes in the importance of the revitalization of the Assembly, will continue to participate actively in the Working Group and encourages all delegations to become involved in it by using it as a platform for dialogue, exchanging views and discussing solutions to common challenges. In September the General Assembly adopted resolution 77/335, the product of two years of formal and informal discussions on the revitalization of the Assembly and its four pillars. It is an ambitious resolution that provides clear mandates designed to enable the Assembly to be more efficient. It is now time to unite our efforts to implement them, which will be possible only if there is genuine will on the part of all Member States to translate those provisions into concrete actions. In that regard, I would like to discuss each of the pillars of the Assembly’s revitalization process in the light of the resolution’s provisions. First, strengthening the role and authority of the General Assembly is more important than ever. Its functions, powers and role under the Charter of the United Nations in matters related to the maintenance of international peace and security have been widely recognized by Member States. The increasing complexity of international crises and global events requires better multilateral discussions and decisions, and the current circumstances have only further demonstrated the importance of the role of the Assembly in addressing emerging challenges. We therefore emphasize that it is the responsibility of States to implement the Assembly’s decisions and comply with the mandates emanating from its resolutions. We firmly believe that is essential if the United Nations is to retain its legitimacy, convening power and impact in terms of policy. We believe that in order to ensure coherence within the Organization, the interrelationship, complementarity and interaction of the Assembly with the Security Council, as well as with the other principal organs of the United Nations, must continue to be strengthened. We reiterate the importance of ensuring that the Security Council continues its efforts to present its annual report to the General Assembly, and we emphasize the important contribution of resolution 76/262. My delegation also believes that the digital manual to be prepared by the presidency of the General Assembly with the support of the Secretariat and other United Nations entities on previous practices, data and recommendations for the fulfilment of the functions and powers of the Assembly established in Chapter IV of the Charter of the United Nations will strengthen its role and authority and support the important work of delegations in the Assembly. On the other hand, and in order to strengthen the Assembly’s functions and authority, especially in the context of its high-level week, we underline how urgent it is that we preserve the primacy, importance and established practice of the general debate. In that regard, we highlight the voluntary commitment annexed to resolution 77/335 that seeks to ensure not only the primacy of the general debate but also to make that unique space that brings world leaders together more efficient and relevant. However, we note that only 24 Member States have undertaken that commitment so far. We therefore encourage delegations to join that effort, which could begin to have tangible results during the next session of the General Assembly. Nevertheless, we also want to point out that the voluntary commitment is not only for Member States. The Secretariat and other entities of the United Nations system should also demonstrate their commitment to ensuring that the high-level week, and the general debate in particular, is a representative space. While the recent high-level week was characterized by a multiplicity of meetings that were mandated by Member States, that experience should lead us to seriously reflect on the need for better planning in the Assembly. The mandate given to the Secretariat to alert States about possible overlaps in high-level meetings before the various agreements are adopted is therefore very relevant. We hope that such support will contribute to our efforts to improve and streamline the work of the Assembly. To ensure that the General Assembly exercises its functions effectively and efficiently, we need to reflect deeply and continually on its working methods under the second pillar of its revitalization. We recognize that urgent, concerted efforts are required to reduce the burden on its agenda, and we hope that the analysis entrusted to the Secretariat on that issue will be translated into concrete proposals to streamline it. We also commend the efforts of the Main Committees of the General Assembly to reflect on and take decisions to improve their working methods, and we encourage those that have not yet done so to undertake that important exercise. We would like to recall the important role that the Bureau or the General Committee can play in that context. We encourage the Bureau’s presidency to direct its work so that it is more active in that regard in accordance with its regulations, while maintaining the practice of convening informal meetings throughout the session. The selection and appointment process of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and other executive positions must continue to be strengthened to ensure that it is always guided by the principles of transparency and inclusiveness. This third pillar of the revitalization of the General Assembly is, without a doubt, one of the areas where much remains to be done. We hope that in the debate and negotiations that will take place during the seventy-ninth session, decisions will be made to strengthen that process. We also hope that in accordance with the express will of the General Assembly, the process will lead to the selection of the first woman Secretary-General of this Organization. And we encourage the Secretary-General and Member States, as appropriate, to continue taking measures to achieve gender parity and geographic balance in the election and appointment of chief executives at all levels and in all areas, departments and offices of the United Nations system. The Office of our leadership is one of the most important components of the Organization. It is therefore crucial that the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Working Group, which are now mandated by the Assembly with regard to strengthening the Office of the President, are supported by the decisions made by the Economic and Financial Committee during the present session. We hope that they translate into a fair allocation of the resources needed to guarantee that the Office continues to perform its important functions. In line with the recent mandates established in resolution 77/335, we consider of utmost importance the request to the Secretary-General to provide administrative, technical, technological, logistical and protocol support to the presidency so that Presidents can effectively execute the mandates entrusted to them at the helm of one of the principal organs of the United Nations. We also encourage continuing to promote and strengthen the practice of multilingualism as a basic value of the General Assembly. In that regard, we urge the presidency of the General Assembly, to the extent possible, to publish its communications in all six official languages. On an issue that we consider cuts across all of the work of the General Assembly, I would like to acknowledge the progress made through the revitalization process in recognizing the role of women in diplomacy. We are pleased with the agreements reached on continuing initiatives such as the Gender Advisory Board and the General Assembly Platform of Women Leaders. We would also like to emphasize the Assembly’s recognition of the importance of advocating for Member States’ nominations of women for the position of President of the General Assembly, considering that in the 78 years of the Organization’s existence, only four women have been elected to that important position. I also want to draw the attention of Member States to an element that we consider crucial to ensuring that the Organization leads by example in achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. My delegation is concerned about the fact that the Assembly, which has promoted and made historic decisions to end discrimination, continues to be governed by regulations with outdated language that does not recognize the role of women in diplomacy. In that regard, we renew our call on Member States to amend the language of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly to reflect that women participate fully, meaningfully and effectively in the deliberations and decision-making processes of this organ. To conclude, I want to reaffirm the commitment of my country, El Salvador, to this important process, which we previously had the honour of co-chairing. We hope that the decisions made regarding the revitalization of the General Assembly will be translated into the actions needed to ensure that the United Nations can continue to make its purposes a reality.

We thank the President for convening today’s debate on this important issue. I am grateful to El Salvador and Australia for their excellent stewardship of the work of the process at the previous session, and I would also like to congratulate the representatives of Saint Lucia and Romania on their appointment as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly. They can count on our support, and we look forward to working with them. Indonesia aligns itself with the statements delivered by the representatives of Malaysia, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Algeria, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. As the chief deliberative and policymaking body of the United Nations, the General Assembly needs to be fit for purpose and relevant in order to address today’s challenges, and it needs to be more effective and efficient if it is to deal with the critical issues of today’s realities and future challenges. In the past two years, the General Assembly has convened emergency special sessions on two issues related to international peace and security after the Security Council failed to exercise its primary responsibility in that regard. Such instances require the Assembly to be better equipped to play its role in forging unanimity among Member States. We therefore need to strive to strengthen its capacity so that it can exercise its role and authority in an effective and efficient manner. In that regard, allow me to share a few points in my national capacity. First, multilateralism should be the cornerstone of the ongoing process of reform of the United Nations. Transparency and accountability should be foundations of our work, including in all of the Main Committees of the General Assembly. It is crucial to build trust and confidence among Member States, as well as between Member States and the Secretariat. We also appreciate the efforts to revitalize the General Assembly based on the principles of inclusiveness and effectiveness. Inclusive dialogue and consultations must be promoted to ensure that meaningful engagement prevails over a take-it-or-leave-it approach. Secondly, we recognize the importance of strengthening the institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. Preserving its institutional memory is important to ensuring the continuity of discussions within the General Assembly so that the United Nations can respond with robust action in dealing with global issues. Indonesia also welcomes encouraging the nomination of women as candidates for the position of President of the General Assembly. Indonesia is a firm believer in the advancement of women in their role as agents of social and economic development and of peace and security at home, in their regions and on the global playing field, including here at the United Nations. The Summit of the Future to be held next year should be an opportunity to consolidate our political will in support of the ongoing revitalization process of the General Assembly so that it can be more efficient and effective. Indonesia is ready to continue playing its part to support and work with other Member States in achieving further meaningful progress towards a whole-of-United Nations reform.

I thank the President for convening this plenary meeting on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. First, Japan would like to thank Ambassador Egriselda González López, the Permanent Representative of El Salvador, Ambassador Mitch Fifield, the former Permanent Representative of Australia, and their teams for the excellent way in which they steered the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly as its co-Chairs for the Assembly’s seventy-seventh session. And we congratulate the co-Chairs for the seventy-eighth session, Ambassadors Cornel Feruță and Menissa Rambally, the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia, on their appointment. Japan looks forward to working with them towards a successful and fruitful process. We stand at a historical inflection point in our world and have learned that effective multilateralism is key to addressing the plethora of complex global crises and challenges that we are facing today. The General Assembly, as the sole organ representing all States Members of the United Nations, has the potential to serve as a platform for them to come together and restore the trust of their peoples in the Organization. That is why it is crucial to revitalize the Assembly in a manner that makes it more effective and efficient. To that end, we must continue to foster greater synergy and interaction among the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the Main Committees to enhance the capacity and functionality of the United Nations. We commend the effort made to reinforce synergy, coherence and complementarity between the General Assembly, the Main Committees and the Economic and Social Council as recently outlined in resolution 77/335. We particularly welcome the agreement reached to further promote coordination and interaction between the General Assembly and the Security Council. In certain circumstances, we have seen that the Security Council has been unable to live up to expectations. That has compelled Member States to recognize the urgent need to reform not only the Security Council but the critical functions, powers and roles of the General Assembly in matters related to international peace and security. We support the implementation of resolution 76/262, which promotes accountability for the use of the veto through the submission of special reports and explanations to the General Assembly. I would like to emphasize that restraint in the use of the veto would help restore confidence in the Security Council and the entire United Nations. Efficiency and effectiveness are attainable only when the workload is reasonable and manageable. The number of meetings held during the previous session was a concern for many delegations, particularly smaller ones. Streamlining the agenda of the General Assembly and aligning the agendas of the principal organs to avoid the duplication of work is an essential step forward. We look forward to further negotiations, with the input of the conference-room paper to be published during this session outlining the evolution of the General Assembly’s agenda. We deeply appreciate the intention of the President of the General Assembly to continue convening informal meetings of the General Committee to formulate concrete proposals on the matter. We also propose further discussions on the possibility of harnessing the General Committee to improve working methods. During the previous session, we agreed to strengthen the structures that support the President of the General Assembly. We hope that will extend to the work of the Office of the President of the General Assembly and the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management. The draft resolution to be negotiated in the seventy- ninth session will be the last before the appointment of the next Secretary-General, which must be enforced with transparency. Member States have recommended circulating joint letters by the President of the General Assembly and the Security Council on the selection process of the Secretary-General and have invited them to voluntarily disclose any funding sources related to their candidature, which should surely improve the transparency of the process. However, that is not quite enough. I would like to refer to a note issued by the former Japanese Ambassador’s in his personal capacity, circulated as a United Nations document under symbol A/71/774, in which an overview of the entire selection process, along with lessons learned during the 2016 selection process, can be found. In line with that letter, we believe that there should be a discussion on reviewing the selection process, including replacing straw polls by official votes, and we also call for the Security Council to decide on basic principles and rules among members for the selection process. We would do well to bear in mind that there has yet to be a female Secretary-General. Lastly, Japan expresses its full confidence in the distinguished co-Chairs and their leadership in guiding us to achieve further progress in revitalizing the General Assembly. Japan will continue to contribute tirelessly to this discussion, as this agenda item is a critical component of the overall reform of the United Nations, and it is our shared responsibility to ensure that it remains relevant to addressing current and future challenges.

I would like to join other delegations in expressing thanks for the convening of this meeting and congratulating the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia on their appointment. I also recognize the extraordinary work of Ambassador Egriselda González López of El Salvador, Ambassador Mitch Fifield of Australia and their teams in leading the process of the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. In the past four years we have achieved two flagship resolutions  — resolutions 75/325 and 77/335  — with the biennialization of the revitalization resolutions enabling us to move forward. In other words, we have had fewer resolutions and more implementation. It is now up to us to implement the current mandates and recommendations, as well as those that have preceded them. It is no coincidence that the two topics of discussion today are agenda items 120, on revitalization, and 119, on implementation. We are all responsible for putting into practice the mechanisms that we agreed on during the negotiations, and that applies to every aspect of every General Assembly resolution. My delegation believes that the best way to reflect the role, authority, effectiveness and efficiency of the General Assembly is through the implementation and execution of its recommendations. I would add that it is both Member States and the bodies of the United Nations system that are responsible for that implementation. In that regard, those bodies, including the Security Council, must adhere to the Assembly’s decisions, whether they are based on the recommendations of a Main Committee or a plenary, and all the more so if they result from emergency special sessions of the General Assembly. At the end of this process, we should be able to clearly identify what and how much we have implemented. The capacity-building and training of delegations in formulating and negotiating action-oriented resolutions and decisions is important, but we must also recognize that it is as much about policy priorities as about optimizing capabilities. Ecuador will continue working to strengthen the Assembly’s relationship with the Security Council. In that regard, I want to highlight the workshop organized by Ecuador and Portugal with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in May on the relationship between the two organs. We will continue to carry out similar initiatives during this session, including another workshop next May, which will allow us to expand the discussion. The revitalization resolution has enabled us to make great progress but there is still much to do. We encourage the President of the General Assembly to take advantage of its provisions and to develop the handbook on the recommendations of the General Assembly to the Security Council in matters of peace and security. Resolution 76/262, known as the veto initiative, is also a reflection of that relationship but still needs to be deepened through follow-up or through the submission of draft resolutions to the Assembly that we can adopt when a veto is cast in the Security Council. Ecuador will continue to support the strengthening of the Office of the President of the General Assembly. In September, together with Malaysia, Finland and UNITAR, we organized a third transition workshop for the staff of the Office of the President of the Assembly, and we hope to continue that practice going forward, as encouraged by the last two resolutions on revitalization. On the issue of side events, we are pleased with the progress that has been made in streamlining them. But we should realize that much has been said about side events or events outside the formal agenda of the Organization, with the premise that with fewer parallel events, the delegations can focus more on the general debate during the Assembly’s high-level week. If there are no side events, what Head of State or Government, Foreign Minister or Permanent Representative can focus exclusively on the General Assembly debate during high-level week, with its long hours every day for the whole week? Perhaps the format of the general debate is beginning to be a little outdated. Perhaps it is time to begin exploring now and in the next few years the design of a new format for the general debate in which leaders from all over the world could listen to one another. That could be done through a group of thematic meetings aimed at resolving important issues, for example. Three minutes of proposals per delegation would have more impact than 15 minutes of speeches. We encourage delegations to refine that proposal and continue discussing it during the revitalization process that begins this session. Before I conclude, I would like to say that my delegation associates itself with the statements made by the representatives of Estonia, on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency group, and Algeria, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Let us move forward during this session in order to improve our working methods so that the revitalization process can also continue to be a model for modernizing our work.

I thank the President for convening this important debate on the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly. The Philippines commends the former co-Chairs, Ambassadors Egriselda González López and Mitch Fifield, for their efforts in leading the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, and we extend our support to the new co-Chairs for the General Assembly’s seventy-eighth session, Ambassadors Cornel Feruţă and Menissa Rambally. The Philippines welcomed the adoption of resolution 77/335. Today’s debate reaffirms the General Assembly’s role and focuses on improving its functions in addressing global issues. We have participated in the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group since 2015 in the context of the United Nations reform agenda. We note that revitalization will continue as part of the overall efforts to reform the United Nations and enhance the effectiveness, transparency and efficiency of the General Assembly. In that regard, the Philippines would like to emphasize the following. First, regarding the role and authority of the General Assembly, it is critically important that Member States continue to enhance its effectiveness, transparency and inclusiveness as the chief deliberative and policymaking body and the most representative organ of the United Nations. Member States should enhance the Assembly’s role as defined in the Charter of the United Nations, particularly with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security and specifically as outlined in Articles 10 to 14 and 35. The General Assembly is the only universal organ of the United Nations system with a universal mandate. It should exercise its functions in a manner that enables it to take the lead on global issues and support the other principal organs where necessary, as envisioned in the Charter of the United Nations. Secondly, on the working methods of the General Assembly, we endorse the recommendations to enhance synergies and coherence and to reduce overlap where it exists in the Assembly’s agenda, to move forward to biennialization and triennialization in the clustering and elimination of items and to explore a sunset clause for some resolutions. The Philippines, in partnership with Pakistan, contributed to that process by biennializing in 2023 — for the first time in 17 years — its annual resolution on interreligious and intercultural dialogue under the agenda item on a culture of peace. The Philippines also joins the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in its advocacy for transparency in the work of the Committees. The Philippines and ASEAN have consistently negotiated in good faith with Member States across multilateral platforms on a basis of on national and regional positions, not political leanings or alliances. In order to foster mutual trust and confidence among Member States, States must be accountable for their actions, and the institutions, procedures and practices of the United Nations must support a culture of trust and transparency as well. Thirdly, on the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads, the Philippines highlights the importance of resolution 75/325, which should be implemented faithfully to ensure a transparent and inclusive selection process. We therefore support continuing timely informal dialogues and town-hall meetings with the candidates. We further emphasize that the Secretary-General must be accorded independence in selecting senior officials, while adhering to the highest standards in those appointments and ensuring equal and fair distribution on the basis of gender and geographic balance. We also reiterate our support for the proposal to come up with a compendium of best practices and lessons learned on the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General. We hope that the Secretary-General will keep enhancing the Organization’s performance management, including appraisals and managerial skills, in order to boost efficiency, accountability and a culture of high performance, ensuring that the United Nations remains responsive to Member States. Finally, with regard to strengthening the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the Philippines supports creating a permanent core staff for the Office, which would reduce the costs incurred by a new team of experts every 12 months. The role of the President and the functions of the Office supporting it have changed fundamentally through the years, and they continue to evolve amid a rapidly changing global order and the need to tackle new and emerging challenges. We therefore need to ensure that the Office is fully equipped, efficient and transparent so that it can deliver more effectively for Member States. Without prejudice to the revitalization of the General Assembly, my delegation is mindful of the broader ongoing revitalization and alignment processes in the Main Committees of the Assembly and in the Economic and Social Council. We note the interlinkages that exist between that process and others that are ongoing, such as the review of the Economic and Social Council and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development and in the alignment of the agendas of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies. We support the closer coordination and joint briefings conducted by the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, and in that context we continue to advocate for a comprehensive and holistic approach, as those processes complement each other while responding to different mandates with different objectives. We anticipate further productive discussions on revitalizing the Committee’s work, aiming to efficiently advance the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the framework of the General Assembly. We also support strengthening the relationship between the Sixth Committee and the International Law Commission, as a subsidiary expert body of the General Assembly, given their important mandates on the codification and progressive development of international law, which advance the rule of law. More frequent and structured interaction, facilitated by the provision of adequate resources for International Law Commission members, could be of value. With greater political will and stronger collaborative action on the part of Member States, we hope to further revitalize the work of the General Assembly through concerted, ambitious, innovative and action-oriented efforts. The revitalization process should aim to transform multilateralism, making it more equitable and just, in order to bring to fruition the purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, with the aim of making peace, justice and sustainable development a reality for all our peoples. The Philippines stands ready to help ensure the success of the Ad Hoc Working Group in its important task of revitalizing the work of the General Assembly.

I thank the President for convening this important discussion. Viet Nam aligns itself with the statements made by the representatives of Malaysia, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Algeria, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to the two former co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, Ambassadors Mitchell Fifield of Australia and Egriselda González López of El Salvador, for their able leadership in steering the revitalization process during the previous session of the General Assembly. Our congratulations go to His Excellency Mr. Cornel Feruță, Permanent Representative of Romania, and Her Excellency Ms. Menissa Rambally, Permanent Representative of Saint Lucia, for their appointment as the new co-Chairs. We wish to assure them of Viet Nam’s full support and cooperation in the way forward. The revitalization of the work of the General Assembly is critical to the comprehensive reform of the United Nations. While encouraged by the progress achieved thus far, we are mindful of the pressing need to continue the momentum in order to respond effectively and meaningfully to the wide range of emerging global challenges. Viet Nam would like to highlight the following points. First, we underscore the role of the General Assembly with respect to matters of peace and security. While it was acknowledged that the Security Council had the primary responsibility in that area, it also clearly recalls that that mandate is not exclusive. In that connection, the General Assembly should enhance its examination and discussion of the issue of international peace and security when the Security Council fails to address issues. The relationship between the General Assembly and the other principal organs of the United Nations, notably the Security Council, should continue to be strengthened. Any approach to addressing the relationship among the principal organs should be based on cooperation and the need for balance. Secondly, we emphasize the need to uphold the principle of transparency in the work of the General Assembly. Along the same lines, the achievements in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General should continue to be applied for future Secretary- General selection and appointment processes. We welcome the practice of the handover report by the current President of the General Assembly to the incoming President on lessons learned, focusing on the importance of continuity in the transfer from President to President and of acquiring and cementing institutional memory. On the appointment of co-facilitators and co-Chairs of General Assembly processes, while recognizing the prerogative that the President of the General Assembly may have, we call for greater transparency, inclusivity and credibility, including by making open calls for nominations to those important positions. Thirdly, discussions within the General Assembly should be more results-oriented, with specific outcomes in both the midterm and the long term, so as to meet the interests and aspiration of Member States. Upcoming discussions in preparation for the Summit of the Future and other processes should focus on identifying not only solutions but also the way to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the existing United Nations budget resources and avoid duplication. With regard to the revitalization meeting itself, we recall the programme of work shared by the co-Chairs at the beginning of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group during the seventy-sixth and seventy- seventh sessions, which provided a useful and clear road map for Member States to prepare and participate in the discussion. We hope to see similar guidelines to prepare for our discussion ahead. As the only United Nations organ with representation for all Member States, the General Assembly plays a crucial role in guiding the work of the United Nations and in upholding the Charter of the United Nations and international law. Now more than ever, the United Nations and its General Assembly must enhance their effectiveness and efficiency and become more fit for purpose. Viet Nam fully supports the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly and will continue to engage with the co-Chairs and all Member States towards a fruitful deliberation and a concrete outcome.

Egypt aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Egypt welcomes the adoption of resolution 77/335, on revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, and wishes to congratulate my dearest friends the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia, Ambassador Cornel Feruță and Ambassador Menissa Rambally, respectively, on their appointment as the co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly. I look forward to working closely with them throughout this session to contribute to enhancing the work of the General Assembly and strengthening its role. The drastic events in the Middle East in the past month have once again reaffirmed the central and indispensable role of the General Assembly as the most inclusive universal body representing Member States of the Organization. Indeed, when the Security Council has failed, and regrettably continues to fail, to undertake its responsibility in preserving international peace and security and in protecting Palestinian civilians in Gaza from deliberate targeting, massive slaughter and forced displacement by Israel, this organ, the General Assembly, met its responsibility, adopting, by an overwhelming majority, the historic resolution ES-10/21, calling for humanitarian pauses leading to a ceasefire. It is appalling that, up to this moment, Israel has ignored the call by the General Assembly, as it continues to kill Palestinian women, men and children, deliberately targeting hospitals, ambulance cars, news reporters, humanitarian workers, United Nations personnel, civilian infrastructure and academic institutions, among other things, in complete disregard for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, the Geneva Conventions and all international norms, even to the extent of threatening to use nuclear weapons against the civilian population of Gaza. Yet such heinous war crimes should not deter us from further working on enhancing and strengthening the role of the General Assembly in matters related to the maintenance of international peace and security, in accordance with Article 11 of the Charter of the United Nations. I want to take this opportunity to point out the following. First, on the working methods of the General Assembly, in my capacity as the current Chair of the Fifth Committee, I take note of resolution 77/335, paragraph 35, inviting each of the Main Committees to further discuss its working methods, as appropriate. On this matter, I remain guided by the members of the Fifth Committee as I reiterate the member-driven, as well as the consensual, nature of its work. It is important to tackle that matter most cautiously owing to its sensitivity and far-reaching implications for the work of all Committees, the Fifth Committee included. I also look forward to working with the President of the General Assembly and the other members of the General Committee towards streamlining the agenda of the Assembly. Secondly, while recognizing the importance of the work of the General Assembly and its Main Committees, it is imperative that we strive to rationalize its workload by streamlining, merging and shortening resolutions and proposals, limiting the number of processes and side events, and shortening statements and interventions, as well as ensuring a more efficient use of the time allocated. That is especially important for small- and medium-sized delegations, which more often than not struggle to cope with the massive workload and the multiple workstreams. I even once went as far as saying that we should have a decision whereby all resolutions and agenda items should be considered only once every three or four years, unless we decide otherwise. That would merely be an attempt to rationalize the very heavy workload before us all a little bit. Thirdly, Egypt continues to reaffirm the importance of strengthening the role of the General Assembly in the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and the other executive heads, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the rules of procedure of the General Assembly. On that particular matter, it is of the utmost importance that the Organization strive to achieve equitable geographical representation and to accord priority to candidates from developing countries. It is also important to continue to support the Office of the President of the General Assembly and to empower and enable it to perform its functions in the most efficient and effective manner. I will conclude by alluding to the fact that we have just concluded the election of the judges of the International Criminal Court and so on. We should try to explore the possibility of having an interactive debate with candidates, et cetera, rather than just putting the burden on each country to bring their candidates and to keep lobbying and so on. Why do we not design an interactive dialogue, whereby all Member States would have the opportunity to discuss, validate and question the experience of the different judges? Those are part and parcel of the ideas that we want to raise with a view to enhancing and revitalizing the work of the General Assembly. I conclude by saying that.

At the outset, we wish to congratulate the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia on their appointment as the new co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly, while thanking the former Permanent Representatives of Australia, Mr. Mitchell Peter Fifield, and of El Salvador, Mrs. Egriselda Aracely González López, for their efforts in the previous session. My delegation associates itself with the statement made by the representative of Algeria on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. We welcome the adoption of resolution 77/335, on revitalization of the work of the General Assembly, by consensus. We believe that many of the proposals reflected in the resolution will enable us to move towards the proper implementation of the revitalization process in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations system. In dealing with those initiatives, we must bear in mind full respect for the provisions and regulations established by the General Assembly, including its rules of procedure, as a shared and strictly enforced responsibility. We emphasize that, in the process of implementing the mandates of resolution 77/335, the sovereign rights and interests of Member States must be respected. We also reiterate the importance of respecting the corresponding mandates, practices and negotiating spaces vested in each of the Committees and other subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly. The revitalization process should not be used to endorse biased or divisive visions, which should be considered by the Main Committees and other subsidiary bodies in an inclusive and timely manner. We emphasize the importance of continuing to promote an appropriate balance among the principal organs, as set out in the Charter of the United Nations. Effective coordination among the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council is vital to leading the Organization’s efforts towards stronger commitments to cooperation and development for the benefit of our peoples. We welcome the fact that the recent resolution on revitalization underlines the continuing need to foster interaction between the General Assembly and the Security Council, in accordance with their respective mandates. In that regard, the increasing tendency of the Security Council to encroach on the purview of the Assembly must cease. It is also significant that this resolution reiterates the importance of the Security Council’s ongoing efforts to submit its annual report to the Assembly. We urge the Council to submit a comprehensive and analytical annual report on its work to this organ, enabling an assessment of the reasons for, and implications of, its decisions. We agree with the need to streamline the work of the General Assembly. At the same time, we point out that the actual effectiveness of this organ depends on the capacity of Member States to advance in the discussion and resolution of substantive issues of importance to our peoples on the basis of dialogue, respect, political will and cooperation. Ensuring the sustainability of the international community’s confidence in the United Nations and its legitimacy will depend on the Organization’s ability to serve the interests of the vast majority of its membership. In conclusion, we reiterate our willingness to continue to support the General Assembly revitalization process, with the objective of consolidating its democratic and participatory nature, thereby making better progress towards the necessary strengthening of multilateralism.

I would like to align myself with the statement made by the representatives of Malaysia, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and of Algeria, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. The revitalization of the work of the General Assembly has never been more urgent or more important. Thailand therefore supports the effective implementation of resolution 77/335, which, when backed by political will and driven by a unity of purpose, should help to build momentum for a more effective General Assembly, which we all seek. I would like to extend our support to the work of the two co-facilitators of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly, the Permanent Representatives of Romania and Saint Lucia. I would like to make three points. First, we need to be more streamlined and synergized in our approach, modus operandi and mindset. Regarding the high-level week, for example, it is very important that it provide the requisite platforms for critical policy impetus. But, with the proliferation of events, the scheduling challenges have caused great strains on all delegations and have reduced the significance and focus of the messages and the impact. We therefore need to streamline it, perhaps by limiting high-level events to no more than one a day, for example. On enhancing synergy, we support making more effective use of the General Committee to coordinate the work and to develop possible synergies across the plenary and the Main Committees. We applaud the President of the General Assembly for making more use of the General Committee to facilitate the coordination of the General Assembly’s work, and we hope that that good practice will continue. We also look forward to enhanced coordination between the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council. To that end, we hope that the practice of the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council co-chairing important events and meetings can be continued. Second is the improvement of the working methods of the General Assembly. As has been underscored in the statement made on behalf of the States members of ASEAN, transparency is critical. Knowing who proposed what is as important as knowing who is paying for what. I will certainly adhere to that practice of transparency in exercising my duties as Chair of the Sixth Committee. We also support more use of informal meetings and discussions to facilitate the work of the General Assembly. Third, and last, is the issue of the sharing of information within the United Nations system, whether at United Nations meetings, including those of the General Assembly, or through United Nations online platforms. Of particular importance are the detrimental consequences regarding issues related to privacy and dignity when inappropriate information in the form of images is shared. Thailand supports timely access by the public to the deliberations and discussions of the United Nations, including through live coverage of the General Assembly and other United Nations meetings. That is an exercise in transparency and will help to promote a better understanding of, and support for, the United Nations among the peoples of the world. That must be continued. But what do we do when inappropriate photographic or video footage that has a detrimental impact on issues of privacy and dignity is shown at public meetings of the General Assembly or at other United Nations meetings? What do we do when such inappropriate images are broadcast to the world in real time? How do we deal with the possible adverse impact of such images being seen by some viewers — young viewers and children? Who takes the responsibility? If we cannot answer those questions, it must mean that there is a gap or loophole in the system that needs to be addressed because, ultimately, our action or inaction will reflect on the United Nations and the General Assembly as a whole. It is therefore time for the general membership to reflect on the matter and for the revitalization process to consider addressing it through the Ad Hoc Committee. There are a number of initial ideas, and, in that connection, I appreciate the fruitful dialogue that I have had with the Secretariat, especially the Department of Global Communications, in recent days. One idea is to see whether some practical guidelines could evolve for the United Nations to use in-house. That could build on the ongoing efforts to develop a United Nations code of conduct to protect the integrity of information, as proposed in the Secretary-General’s policy brief on information integrity for digital platforms. Such a code of conduct, however, not only should be aimed at guiding the actions of Member States and media platforms but should also guide the actions of the United Nations itself and the Secretariat. At a practical level, one could also envisage a standard operating procedure for meetings of the plenary and the Committees, whereby a live camera on a speaker could be turned away temporarily when there is an attempt to show photographs or video images. For example, the moment I take out my cell phone, like this, the camera should already start pointing away from me and focus somewhere else, as a precaution. This is just a simulation — rest assured that I will not use my phone for such purposes. People may well ask what criteria should be used to determine which images are appropriate or inappropriate. One such criterion is simply whether we believe that such images should be viewed by children. If not, they should not be shown. At any rate, we hope to work closely with Member States to develop practical ideas on how best to deal with inappropriate photographs or video images in United Nations meetings. At the end of the day, we recognize that, ultimately, it is we, the Member States, and our respective wisdom that will be the best guarantee for ensuring that inappropriate images do not make their way into these respected halls of the United Nations and into the public domain. To conclude, a revitalized General Assembly is an integral part of the ongoing efforts to have a strengthened United Nations system that is fit for the present, as well as future-ready. Thailand extends its cooperation to that important endeavour of the revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on these items for this meeting. We shall hear the remaining speakers on Tuesday, 14 November, in the morning after the consideration of the items already announced in The Journal of the United Nations. The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda items 119 and 120.