May I begin by commending you Madam President for the able manner in which you have been conducting the work of the General Assembly since your election to preside over the 73rd Session. My delegation also acknowledges with appreciation the great work done by Columbia and Croatia to the co-Chairs of the ad hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly during the 72nd session. We also wish to congratulate and warmly welcome the Permanent Representatives of the Slovak Republic and the Kingdom of Jordan as the Co-Chairs of the 73rd Session and wish them every success.
Madam President,
Kenya aligns itself with the statement delivered by the distinguished delegation of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement’s Working Group on the Revitalization of the General Assembly.
My delegation also notes that an exchange of action-oriented ideas pertaining to revitalization of the work of the General Assembly is timely and in line with the strategic priorities for the 73rd session namely, strengthening multilateralism, as well as catalyzing the wellbeing of all persons and a sustainable planet.
Madam President, we welcome the adoption of the resolution on Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly without a vote. While significant progress has been made, we note that the negotiations leading to the finalization of this resolution were lengthy and wrought with various contentious issues, most of which had been carried over from previous sessions.
Madam President, even as we speak of the revitalization of the work of this august body, we should recognize that the underlying causes behind a lack of consensus on various issues are much broader and need further discussions with a focus on implementation. We call for political willingness and good will of all Member States to overcome these persistent divergences or challenges.
My delegation therefore welcomes the decision to establish, as per previous practice, during this session (73rd) an ad hoc working group on the revitalization of its work which will be open to all Member States. It is our hope that some of the contentious issues as outlined in detail by the NAM delegation will be addressed in order to further improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and working methods of the General Assembly.
Madam President allow me to highlight just three areas for further consideration:
First is on the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other Executive Heads in which we believe that a healthy balance needs to be sought between transparency and confidentiality. Member States need to be well informed of the process alongside the full recognition of the working methods of the Security Council. The General Assembly and the Security Council should work or be seen to be working in a complementary and non-competitive manner. The strengthening of the Office of the President of the General Assembly will enhance such complementarity.
Second, regarding the membership of Advisory Committee on Administrative Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), a review of the membership in order to ensure equitable geographical representation will add value to the work of the Committee by broadening the scope of expertise from the various regions.
Finally, Madam President in streamlining the Assembly’s agenda, and while focusing on implementations, adequate time needs to be given for consideration of items that are important to developing countries like financing for development and Agenda 21 as well as their linkages to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
Madam President,
In conclusion, Kenya reaffirms its commitment to remain engaged and constructively contribute to the work of the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly as the chief deliberative policy-making organ of the United Nations.
I thank you for your attention.
