Statement by President of the UN General Assembly on Adoption of UN Budget
23 December 2015
Mr Secretary General, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates.
With the adoption of the UN budget and the conclusion of the work of the 5th Committee we come to the end of what has been a remarkable year for multilateralism.
Let me thank the 5th Committee Chair, the Permanent Representative of Nepal, Mr. Durga Prasad Bhattarai, for your extraordinary leadership in patiently guiding the work of the Committee as well as all delegates for your hard work and spirit of consensus and compromise in these final negotiations.
In a wider perspective we should all be proud of the incredible breakthroughs which this organization has brought about in 2015. The 2030 Agenda and the Paris Climate Agreement in particular were excellent outcomes from ground-breaking multilateral processes.
Mr Secretary General, you have during all your nine years in office been instrumental in building the momentum and support for action on climate and sustainable development. I have greatly enjoyed working with you these past four months. During that time, I have seen first-hand the leadership and energy you have demonstrated on so many global challenges. I can tell you that I without any doubt have nominated you as THE MAN OF Year in a Danish TV-programme on international affairs.
2016 will be about kick-starting implementation of these agreements but it must also be about finding lasting peace to ongoing conflicts; reviewing the global humanitarian system and addressing the current refugee crisis.
It is my sincere hope that in the coming year (2016) the UN and the international community will show the same spirit of cooperation as we have seen in 2015.
I wish you all Happy Holidays and a well-deserved rest. Thank you.