General Assembly Session 62 meeting 4

The President

There are over 180 languages spoken in the five boroughs of New York. This cosmopolitan city really is a microcosm of the world. What better place than this to bring together at the highest level all 192 Member States of the United Nations?

We are here today to debate the urgent challenges that our peoples and nations face collectively and individually. This is one of the rare occasions each year when so many heads of State and Government gather together in one place. What a unique opportunity. This historic Hall is indeed the parliament of the peoples of the world.

It is therefore my sincere honour and pleasure to welcome you all to the general debate. The theme for this year's debate is "Responding to Climate Change". I would also like to use this opportunity to draw your attention to the other key priorities we will work on together during the sixty-second session.

As I set out in more detail at the opening of this session, in consultations with members, I identified five priority topics that we need to address in this session: climate change, financing for development, the Millennium Development Goals, countering terrorism and renewing the management, effectiveness and coherence of the Organization, including Security Council reform. I believe that those five priorities represent an equilibrium of interests that all Member States can identify with and take forward successfully together.

Climate change and its dramatic effects are increasingly visible and increasingly violent. The irony is that those least responsible for it will suffer most. Yesterday, many participants reaffirmed that and sent a strong political message that the time for action had come. That is why I have proposed creating a comprehensive road map to guide the way forward for the United Nations system and its Member States.

First, we need to take stock to outline the instruments we have and the structures necessary to address climate change. Then, we need a clearer vision of the way forward. And finally, we must formulate a strategy to get us there together. Modernizing our management and implementing greater coherence across the system will enable the Organization to deliver better results on all the priorities I have outlined. And to make swift progress, I call on all members today to renew their support for the Secretary-General in his endeavour to advance the agenda of the United Nations and to make it more effective and modern.

Together, dealing systematically with substance, the General Assembly can demonstrate its global leadership on these important issues. To revitalize this House is also to renew our faith in each other and in the Organization's cherished values.

The basic values, norms and principles of international relations are undergoing a profound transition. This is characterized by great opportunities as well as by great challenges.

The patterns of life of individuals and communities are increasingly shaped by global economic forces. Overall, our wealth is increasing. More and more people are benefiting from the expansion of trade, commerce and new jobs in a system based on the rule of law and human rights. But for the benefits of development to be sustained, they have to be shared by all. Sharp social divisions and inequalities continue to persist. About half the world's people still live on less than two dollars per day. In a world where we are confronted by images of prosperity, the burden of the expectation of a better future is growing daily. Education, the key to empowerment, is for some more accessible. Yet, each day, 100 million young children do not receive an education. Let us spare no effort in moving the world towards a sense of genuine belonging, shared opportunity and responsibility.

Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is not solely a test of our ability to deliver on our promises. It is, above all, a test of our moral convictions. That is why, in consultation with the Secretary-General, I intend to work closely with members to hold an MDG leaders meeting here at the United Nations during this session.

The President

In this era of globalization, we face other challenges. Capital flows are becoming more and more complex, volatile and opaque. We are increasingly vulnerable to the new threats to which we need to respond. Terrorism, arms trafficking, weapons of mass destruction, pandemics and the consequences of climate change are but a few examples. That is why I am calling upon members to take every opportunity offered to us in the course of this session to move towards sustainable peace, in particular in the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur.

We must rise to those challenges in this increasingly fast-paced world. Political decision-making processes can seem very slow and too cumbersome. As Ms. Al Khalifa said during the previous General Assembly session, we are facing a growing gap between the actions that we must take and the multilateral means at our disposal to do so.

The President

By confronting the challenges of our time and nurturing new patterns of cooperation, we can forge a new culture of international relations, demonstrate the courage to rise above ourselves and achieve our common goals. We must act with purpose, determination and vision, all of us accepting our shared but differentiated responsibility to work together for change. If fully implemented, the commitments made at the 2005 World Summit and at other summits and conferences can create the conditions for lasting prosperity and stability based on the principles of peace and security, international development, human rights and the rule of law.

To demonstrate this and to achieve more during this session and in the future, the General Assembly should be more of a dialogue, not a monologue; it should be more engaging and insightful; it should be more focused on results and should continually strive to exemplify the spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.

There is an old saying: "Keep your mind level. If the mind is level, the whole world will be level". It is my hope that that spirit will guide us in our joint efforts, not only during this session, but in the future. Acting in that manner requires us to realize that all the distinctions of the world are caused by the discriminatory views of the mind.

Before giving the floor to the first speaker for this morning, I should like to remind members that the list of speakers has been created on the basis that statements will have a time limit of 15 minutes per statement to enable all the speakers to be heard at any given meeting. Within this time frame, I should like to appeal to speakers to deliver their statements at a normal speed so that interpretation may be properly provided.

I should also like to draw the General Assembly's attention to the decision made by the Assembly at previous sessions, namely, that the practice of expressing congratulations inside the General Assembly Hall after a speech has been delivered are strongly discouraged. In that connection, I should like to invite speakers in the general debate after delivering their statements to exit the General Assembly Hall through room GA-200, located behind the podium, before returning to their seats.

May I take it that the General Assembly agrees to proceed in the same manner during the general debate of the sixty-second session?

The President

Finally, I should like to draw it to the attention of members that during the general debate, official photographs of speakers are taken by the Department of Public Information. Members interested in obtaining those photographs are requested to contact the Photo Library of the United Nations.