FIRST EVER PUBLIC DIALOGUES HELD WITH CANDIDATES FOR NEXT GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

United Nations, New York, 4 May 2018 – The President of the 72^nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, today convened informal interactive dialogues with candidates for the position of President of the 73^rd session of the General Assembly.

This was the first time in the General Assembly’s history that candidates for President participated in public dialogues. Both candidates – H.E. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés of Ecuador and H.E. Ms. Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake of Honduras – presented their vision statements and answered questions from Member States and civil society.

The questions covered a wide range of topics, including conflict prevention and sustaining peace; financing for the Sustainable Development Goals; transparency and accountability in the Office of the President; United Nations reforms; and gender equality.

Speaking after the dialogues, President Lajčák said, “Today’s dialogues showed the General Assembly’s commitment to openness and fairness. It is essential for the Assembly to reflect the will of Member States and address the concerns of people throughout the world. In that sense, we are moving in the right direction. The most democratic and inclusive body of the United Nations is becoming even more so.”

The dialogues were part of new process established by the General Assembly In 2017 through its resolution 71/323, entitled “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”. Their purpose was to contribute to the transparency and inclusivity of the election process.

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For more information, please visit: https://www.un.org/pga/72/pga-election

For media inquiries, please contact Brenden Varma, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, 1-212-963-7238, 1-347-556-3433, varmab@un.org.