第77回国連総会議題124「総会再活性化」における志野大使ステートメント

Good morning.
 
I thank you Mr. President, for convening this plenary meeting on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly.
 
At the outset, Japan would like to thank Ambassador Mitchell Fifield and Ambassador Egriselda Gonzalez Lopez, the Permanent Representatives of Australia and El Salvador, for their leadership as co-Chairs of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly at its seventy-sixth session, and to congratulate their reappointment for the seventy-seventh session. We look forward to productive discussions for an action-oriented resolution in order to heighten the Assembly’s efficiency, effectiveness and transparency.
 
Today, the international order faces multifaceted challenges, and the role of the United Nations becomes more important than ever.  The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintaining of international peace and security, but in certain circumstances, we saw the Security Council not able to respond to its expectations. Since the General Assembly is where all Member States gather and demonstrate the whereabouts of a just cause of the international community, I believe, we shall restore confidence in the United Nation, by strengthening the General Assembly through its revitalization. It is also important to explore further ideas of whether there is a role that the General Assembly can play in the case of exercise of the veto. We would like to continue to deepen discussions with Member States on this issue.
 
Mr. President,
 
Based on Resolution 75/325, during the 77th session, we will deepen our discussion on strengthening the accountability, transparency and institutional memory of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, and the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General as well as other executive heads. In this regard, Japan would like to highlight the following points, as well as to reiterate points discussed under the 76th Session, as they are interlinked and crucial to consider during the drafting of this session's resolution.
 
Mr. President,
 
We believe that it is desirable to make rules and timelines regarding the selection process of the Secretary-General more transparent and visible. I would like to remind you of a note issued under the former Japanese Ambassador’s personal capacity, A/71/774-S/2017/93, which was intended to provide an overview of the entire selection process, with a description of the achievements made during the 2016 process and lessons learned for future selection processes. Japan will continue to explore possible steps to achieve this goal.
 
Mr. President,
 
Japan is willing to take an active part in the follow-up process of the Secretary-General’s "Our Common Agenda".  The Member States should seriously discuss in the General Assembly what kind of world they want to hand over to future generations bearing in mind preparations for the SDG Summit next year and the Summit of the Future in 2024. In his report, the SG recognized the importance of the revitalization of the General Assembly, so that the United Nations will be able to tackle multifaceted challenges in the years to come.
 
Japan commends your initiative, Mr. President, to make use of the General Committee for coordination with the co-facilitators, as all discussions toward these goals should be appropriately integrated with each other, so that the General Assembly can effectively hear the voices of Member States to reach a great achievement. Member States, under the leadership of Germany and Namibia as co-facilitators and with full support from the OPGA, should actively join in this process.
 
Mr. President,
 
In order to enable a GA effectively represented by the PGA, the President should enjoy a solid organizational back up by the Secretariat as well as support from Member States which are indispensable. We should make full use of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly to make the GA debates and decisions more relevant to the impending global issues.
 
In this regard, further efforts should be made to streamline its agendas in close consultation with the bureau of the Main Committees and the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies. We should be considering biennialization, triennialization, clustering and also elimination of items, where appropriate, with a view to promoting an in-depth discussion under each item in an efficient manner.
 
Also, further interaction and continued coordination between the Presidents of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council should be encouraged, including the complementarity between the General Assembly and the Security Council in the case a veto is cast at the Council, based on GA resolution 76/262, adopted in April this year.
 
Mr. President, 
 
Revitalization of the General Assembly remains the priority of all Member States and Japan is determined to work earnestly to further strengthen functions of the General Assembly running together with the UN, so that it can play an even greater role in the maintenance of peace and security.
 
I thank you.