General Assembly Official Records Seventieth Session
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United Nations A/70/ PV.103 General Assembly Official Records Seventieth session 103rd plenary meeting Monday, 13 June 2016, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. Lykketoft ......................................... (Denmark) The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. It was so decided. Mass shooting in Orlando, Florida Agenda item 4 The President: I should like to express my deepest Election of the President of the General Assembly sympathies to the host country and the people of the Election of the President of the General United States of America after yesterday’s horrific Assembly for the seventy-first session mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. The loss of so many innocent lives through such an act of barbarism is The President: I now invite Members, in accordance extremely upsetting, and I wish to convey my sincere with rule 30 of the rules of procedure of the General condolences to the families and friends of the victims. Assembly, to proceed to the election of the President of This attack demonstrates once again the need for each the General Assembly for the seventy-first session. and every member of the Assembly to continue the work May I recall that, in accordance with paragraph 1 to defeat hatred, counter discrimination and prevent of the annex to resolution 33/138 of 19 December 1978, violent extremism. the President of the General Assembly at its seventy- first session should be elected from among the Asia- Agenda item 138 (continued) Pacific States. Scale of assessments for the apportionment of the In this connection, I have been advised that expenses of the United Nations the Chair of the Asia-Pacific States for the month The President: I should like, in keeping with of May 2016 has informed the Secretariat that His established practice, to draw the attention of the Excellency Mr. Andreas Mavroyiannis of Cyprus and General Assembly to documents A/70/722/Add.7 His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson of Fiji are the two and A/70/722/Add.8, in which the Secretary-General candidates for the presidency of the General Assembly informs the President of the General Assembly that, for the seventy-first session. since the issuance of his communication contained In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, in document A/70/722/Add.6, Yemen and Libya have the election shall be held by secret ballot and there shall made the payments necessary to reduce their arrears be no nominations. Before we begin the voting process, below the amount specified in Article 19 of the Charter. I should like to remind members that, pursuant to rule May I take it that the General Assembly duly 88 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, takes note of the information contained in documents no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a A/70/722/Add.7 and A/70/722/Add.8? point of order on the actual conduct of the voting. 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). 16-16793 (E) *1616793* A /70/PV.103 13/06/2016 Ballot papers are now being distributed and the and the United Nations had that small majority tipped voting has thus begun. I request representatives to his way rather than mine. I wish him well in all his use only those ballot papers that have been distributed future endeavours, and I thank him. and to write the name of one of the candidates and not I should also like to take this opportunity to thank the name of the candidate’s country, for whom they the Government of Fiji for putting me forward for this wish to vote. Ballot papers containing more than one post. It is a great honour that it chose to put one of its name or containing only the name of a country will be own up for this high office, and that that person was me. declared invalid. I should like to thank my Prime Minister, the Minister At the invitation of the President, Mr. Guido for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Crilchuk (Argentina), Ms. Lachezara Stoeva Fiji ambassadors overseas and, especially, the staff of (Bulgaria), Mr. Mustapha Kamal Rosdi (Malaysia), the Permanent Mission of Fiji to the United Nations. Mr. Ilan Cohen (Netherlands), Mr. Samson Itegboje I also take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of (Nigeria) and Mrs. Katalin Oanţă (Romania) acted Fijians who serve in the Blue Helmets and Blue Berets as tellers. as United Nations peacekeepers around the world. To them, also, I say “Thank you for your service”. A vote was taken by secret ballot. I should also like to take this moment to thank The meeting was suspended at 10.15 a.m. and my brothers and sisters from the Pacific small island resumed at 10.50 a.m. developing States (SIDs). This was not just a Fiji The President: The result of the voting is as follows: candidacy; it was a Pacific SIDs candidacy, and this is the first time in history that one of the Pacific SIDs Number of ballot papers: 192 countries has put up someone who has succeeded in Number of invalid ballots: 7 being elected as President of the General Assembly. It Number of valid ballots: 185 is a great moment for the Pacific islands, and I thank Abstentions: 1 everyone for their support. The Pacific SIDs bring Number of members voting: 184 special perspectives on climate change and oceans Required simple majority: 93 issues, and Assembly members can expect me to be Number of votes obtained: vocal on those in the seventy-first session. Mr. Peter Thomson (Fiji) 94 But let me say that, while my presidency is Mr. Andreas Mavroyiannis (Cyprus) 90 supported by the SIDs and the Group of 77, I want to Having obtained the required majority, His assure everyone that it is for the whole house. We are Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson was elected bound together not only by the Charter of the United President of the General Assembly at its seventy- Nations, but also by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable first session. Development (resolution 70/1), which is a universal Agenda. That is what lies ahead for us in the seventy- The President: I wholeheartedly congratulate first session — the implementation of the Agenda His Excellency Mr. Peter Thomson on his election as for Sustainable Development. It is the high purpose President of the General Assembly for the seventy-first of the seventy-first session to achieve momentum on session, and invite him to take the floor. that Agenda. By the end of the seventy-first session, Mr. Thomson (Fiji): I thank you, Mr. President, we must be accountable; we must have progress on and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for your wise all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. That is going leadership and the excellent example you have forever to require transforming systems. It is going to mean set us here at the United Nations. I look forward to overcoming structural and intellectual barriers. We working with you both over the next three months in have to implement the Agenda. It is there for the good preparation for the seventy-first session. of our children and our grandchildren. Without it, their future will be in jeopardy; with it, we will have a I thank my honourable colleague Mr. Andreas sustainable place on this planet. Mavroyiannis so much for the fairness of our contest and the gentlemanly conduct that he exhibited throughout. On a personal note, I should like to thank the He would have been a credit to the General Assembly two gentlemen sitting beside me at the Fiji desk this 2/8 16-16793 13/06/2016 A /70/PV.103 morning. They are the two most senior diplomats that refugees in September, and the important work of the Fiji has ever produced. Ambassador Satya Nandan revitalization of the General Assembly. I will also hold was for many years the Secretary-General of the my third high-level thematic debate on human rights on International Seabed Authority and was also an Under- 12 and 13 July, as well as further informal dialogues Secretary-General here at the United Nations. Sitting with candidates for the position of Secretary-General, next to him is Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, the President of if necessary. Fiji until last year. Ratu Epeli and my fathers fought in I am determined to leave behind a strong General the trenches at the pointy end of the Pacific war, and Assembly that all the 193 Member States and the people our families have been linked ever since. It is a great of the world can look up to and depend upon. I am honour for me that he is sitting with me here today. He confident that our efforts to drive this organ forward began his career here at the United Nations as a First and make it more transparent, more inclusive and more Secretary in the early 1970s. Tonight, we will sit down effective will be built upon under his Mr. Thomson’s at the Fiji Mission, we will drink Cava together and we stewardship. I therefore once again wish him the very will sing a lot of Pacific island songs.