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103rd Plenary Meeting of General Assembly 69th Session
Resolutions aimed at fostering greater transparency in the selection of the next Secretary-General and equitable use of all six official languages in the activities of the United Nations were among six texts adopted by the General Assembly today, one of which required a recorded vote.
Introducing the text titled “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”, Assembly President Sam Kutesa underscored the body’s position as the chief representative policymaking organ of the United Nations. Hailing the text as an important contribution to strengthening the United Nations, he encouraged States to take an active role in following up on implementation.
By terms of the resolution, adopted without a vote, the Assembly emphasized that the process of selection of the Secretary-General shall be guided by the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, building on best practices and the participation of all Member States.
It requested the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council to start the process of soliciting candidates for the position through a joint letter addressed to all Member States, containing a description of the entire process and inviting candidates to be presented in a timely manner. Stressing the need to ensure equal and fair distribution based on gender and geographical balance, the resolution invited Member States to consider presenting women as candidates.
“The days of rumours and speculation are over”, said the United Kingdom’s delegate, speaking after the adoption, adding that, through consensus, the Assembly had brought overdue transparency to an archaic process. The representative of Colombia said that, for the first time, the United Nations had affirmed the possibility of electing a woman as Secretary-General.
France’s representative said respect for the broad institutional balance enshrined in the Charter had been instrumental to reaching consensus on the issue, while a recorded vote would have put the Organization in an institutional challenge.
Introducing a draft titled “Multilingualism”, the representative of Senegal said it outlined the place of language equity in the Organization’s pursuits towards peace, justice and freedom. By the resolution, also adopted without a vote, the Assembly emphasized the importance of ensuring the full and equitable treatment of all the official languages of the United Nations in all the activities of the Department of Public Information.
It also emphasized the role of the Department in building support for international peace and security, development and human rights for all and the contribution of multilingualism in achieving those goals.
Introducing the text titled “Venue of annual sessions of the Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/United Nations Office for Project Services”, the representative of South Africa, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said it reflected the Group’s long-standing and principled position that holding those sessions in New York instead of alternating them between New York and Geneva would result in cost savings.
However, several delegations disapproved of the way in which the draft had been brought to the floor, with the representative of Luxembourg (speaking on behalf of the European Union) stressing that the issue needed to be dealt with as part of the ongoing broader discussions on improving global governance.
The draft, as orally revised, was adopted by a recorded vote of 103 in favour and 11 against, with 38 abstentions. Speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, the representative of the Maldives said holding the meetings in New York would ensure the broadest possible participation of developing countries in such meetings, considering that most of them had missions in New York.
The representative of India said that since the issue of venue was originally decided through a stand-alone resolution and not through the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review, it needed to be addressed in that spirit.
The Assembly also adopted, without a vote, a resolution proclaiming 9 December as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime; a text calling for increased support for the implementation of international commitments in the fight to eliminate malaria; and another text affirming the importance of the Zone of peace and cooperation of the South Atlantic as a forum for increased interaction and support among the region’s member States.
Also speaking were representatives of Estonia (on behalf of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group), Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Indonesia, Belarus, Croatia, Uruguay, Argentina, Armenia, Rwanda, Sudan, Azerbaijan, Chile, Guatemala, Morocco, Ethiopia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ecuador, Switzerland, United States, Australia, Norway and Japan, as well as a representative of the European Union Delegation.
The representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan also spoke, in exercise of right of reply.
Action
The Assembly first turned its attention to a resolution titled “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”, contained in paragraph 68 of the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly (A/69/1007). Introducing the text, Assembly President Sam Kutesa underscored the body’s position as the United Nations’ chief representative policymaking organ. The text amplified the Assembly’s role and called for strengthening the institutional memory of the Office of the President. It also called for his successor to solicit candidates for Secretary-General. The Assembly would conduct informal meetings, contributing to transparency in the selection process, he said. He encouraged States to take an active role in following up on implementation, hailing the text as an important contribution to strengthening the Organization.
The Assembly then adopted the text without a vote.