General Assembly Official Records Seventy-Third Session
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United Nations A/73/ PV.108 General Assembly Official Records Seventy-third session 108th plenary meeting Monday, 16 September 2019, 3 p.m. New York President: Ms. Espinosa Garcés.................................... (Ecuador) The meeting was called to order at 3.15 p.m. with disabilities, promoting the voices of young people to advance peace and security, and revitalizing the work Statement by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The commitment of Ms. Espinosa Garcés to the environment, and especially to ending The President: I now give the floor to His plastic pollution, also stands out. I am confident that Excellency Secretary-General António Guterres. her successful term will pave the way for increasing The Secretary-General: I am pleased to be with participation of women in the political sphere around everyone in this Hall for the closing of the seventy- the world and for accelerating progress towards gender third session of the General Assembly. Here, in this equality within and beyond the United Nations. Many prestigious place, and in the building’s many conference of the issues debated, raised and accomplished during rooms, delegations discuss, daily, humankind’s most the seventy-third session are testament to what can pressing issues. In our fast-changing world, these issues be achieved through international cooperation under are increasingly interlinked. From the climate crisis competent leadership. to migration flows and rising inequality, from waves of intolerance to harnessing technology for good, one The adoption by the General Assembly of two thing is certain: global issues require global solutions. Global Compacts — on migration and refugees — offers The General Assembly is our universal platform to remarkable examples. At the same time, the United build consensus for the common good. Nations continued over the past year to advance its comprehensive reforms at an unprecedented pace and It has been my privilege to work with this body scale. We are doing so to make the Organization more during the seventy-third session, which was led by nimble, effective and efficient — and to better serve Her Excellency María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés of “we the peoples” of the world. Ecuador, the fourth woman to serve as President of the General Assembly. Working through consultation, As we look ahead to the seventy-fifth anniversary collaboration and consensus, with unwavering of the United Nations, I thank Ms. Espinosa Garcés leadership, Ms. Espinosa Garcés has been a champion for her leadership and partnership, and I look forward for multilateralism and making the United Nations to working with the President-elect, His Excellency relevant for all. Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria. Together, let us continue to advance our mission to build a more I commend Ms. Espinosa Garcés’ ambitious peaceful and prosperous world — a world for all on a priorities for this session, which addressed crucial healthy planet. matters of international impact and concern, including gender equality, migration and refugees, decent work The President (spoke in Spanish): I thank the for all, environmental protection, the rights of people Secretary-General for his generous words. This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 19-28186 (E) *1928186* A /73/PV.108 16/09/2019 I will now deliver my closing statement. and Caribbean sisters and brothers should know that the flag of our extensive, vibrant and supportive homeland I stand before the Assembly to make this, my last has been with me every day of my administration, statement as President of the General Assembly, our together with the flag of my country, Ecuador, on parliament of humankind. I do so with the same sense behalf of which I have held the presidency. of responsibility and passion with which I took up my mandate a year ago. I would also like to recall the three women who came before me — Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit of India, Throughout this session, I have learned much Angie Brooks of Liberia and Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa from all participants — Permanent Representatives of Bahrain — who, with determination and tenacity, and members of delegations — and I have witnessed their commitment, dedication and professionalism. I paved the way not only for me but for many other have listened to each Member State, to observers, to women in the Organization as well. I thank them for Heads of State and Government. Working with them their inspiration and guidance and I hope that I have and for them has filled me with hope and optimism, paid them back by enlarging the space for those to despite the challenges we face. I am more convinced come, the young women and girls of today. They than ever that multilateralism and the United Nations deserve the same opportunities. For that reason, gender are irreplaceable and that when we work together there equality has been a central theme of my presidency, and is no goal that we cannot achieve. We literally have the I hope that it will be a central focus of our future work. power to transform the world, to do what is best for all We cannot continue to exclude half of the population. people, to make it more inclusive and sustainable. But I The political participation of women, their rights, have also learned from the most vulnerable, from those dignity and economic and social empowerment are who have to face enormous difficulties, from those who indispensable if we are to build a more peaceful, more suffer and lack. sustainable and more humane world and if we are to fulfil the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. On my official visits, I have met refugees, displaced women, victims of violence and war, indigenous The Secretary-General’s genuine commitment to peoples, persons with disabilities, those who are gender equality should be a great inspiration to all men. discriminated against and excluded. I listened to them I also wish to highlight his commitment to modernizing all, very closely. We cannot trivialize their pain or the Organization and invite all Member States and actors disadvantages. We cannot be indifferent. We cannot of the system to support and further the implementation forget for whom we are here, because that would be of the urgent and necessary reforms. I have found in the antithesis of our purpose, of the raison d’être of our the Secretary-General a great ally and a true friend. Organization. Our purpose is to prevent more wars, I say the same about my sisters Amina Mohammed, eliminate misery and work together to overcome the Maria Luiza Viotti and Catherine Pollard. I thank the great challenges facing humankind, such as the climate Secretary-General for his support, his vision and his crisis, inequality and terrorism. leadership. I am especially grateful to the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management. I We have failed more than once. We still live in thank the interpreters for their dedicated and efficient a world in which neither violence nor conflict have work, my security team and each and every one of the been eradicated or hunger or poverty resolved. Human anonymous heroes who keep this house moving. beings have driven hundreds of species to extinction, putting our very existence at risk. We are responsible As a poet, I believe in the transformative power of for the climate crisis and its devastating effects. It is in words. As a woman politician, I know how important our hands to act now in order to reverse it. it is to honour them. Words are creators of reality and translators of dreams. Throughout the session, I have Today, at the end of my term of office, I can affirm sought to fulfil each of my commitments. We can with absolute conviction that the General Assembly is always do more and do better, of course, but I must say the ideal space — perhaps even the only space — to that I feel satisfied with what we have achieved together. reach agreements and move forward on global solutions. Taking stock of the seven priorities of my presidency, I I would like to pay special tribute to the peoples of would like to say that, with the Assembly’s support, we Latin America and the Caribbean. Our Latin American have made important progress. 2/5 19-28186 16/09/2019 A /73/PV.108 First, we have strengthened the participation of (spoke in French) women in the work of the General Assembly, putting These seven points are the promises I made to the them at the forefront of negotiation processes. Fifty- Assembly and to the whole world at the opening of the three per cent of the facilitators I appointed for seventy-third session of the General Assembly. It is negotiations were women. All the panels and events with the Assembly’s support that we have brought the were at gender parity and intergenerational, and my United Nations closer to the people. Over the course Cabinet was 60 per cent women. We were also able to of the session, I have also sought to ensure that young raise awareness about the underrepresentation of women people are involved in the Organization’s debates and in positions of power and about the need to broaden deliberations in the context of an intergenerational their political participation and to ensure that girls and approach to all our activities.