General Assembly Nears End of Main Part of its 66th Session - Al-Nasser

New York , December 25 (QNA) - President of the Assembly of the United Nations HE Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Al-Nasser warned from the unprecedented challenges the world faces in the environmental, economic, social and political fronts. He said that the voice of the people became clearer than it ever was before, which calls for wise leadership. The President of the General Assembly of the UN , in a speech he made last night on the occasion of the conclusion of the 66th General Assembly's main body of work, stressed on the importance of working together to build a global partnership that will move forward in the implementation of the Assembly's agenda this year. He praised the efficiency shown by the Working Group of the Secretariat in response to these challenge, saying that the Assembly acted in a spirit of harmony in many of the key issues of current and taken so far, making 300 resolutions and the decision in total. He said that with regard to Libya, that the assembly had regained legitimate representation of the Libyan people, and that the international community is now working hand in hand with Libyan to pursue the Libyan people's aspirations. He referred to the visit of the Secretary-General to Libya in November to confirm the strong United Nations support to the Libyans in their democratic transition and rebuilding of Libya. On the Syrian affairs, he said that the Association has expressed concern about the ongoing developments there. Referring to the resolution they adopted on November 22 which condemned the violence in Syria. He said that the Assembly had reaffirmed solidarity with the Palestinian people, noting that a number of important resolutions on the Palestinian issue had been examined by several committees and adopted. The Assembly acted in concert on many of the major issues of our time and so far adopted around 300 resolutions and decisions in total. Al-Nasser said that enormous efforts had been made and progress is under way on the four key pillars he outlined as the focus of the current session that began in September. The pillars are peaceful settlement of disputes; UN reform and revitalization; improving disaster prevention and response; and promoting sustainable development and global prosperity. He highlighted the need for having youth participate in the efforts made to enhance understanding between different cultures as well as in achieving sustainable development. As for the second pillar, UN reform and revitalization, the President of the General Assembly referred to a formal debate that will be held at the beginning of December to discuss the different aspects of revitalizing the General Assembly. He noted that in the same context, that the question of equitable representation in the Security Council was considered by many of the member states in November. As for the third pillar, improving disaster prevention and response, the President of the General Assembly stressed the need to consolidate efforts to address the humanitarian disasters. He said the UN attaches special importance to the situation in Somalia. He added that Somalia now needs urgently to limit the impact of the people who are starving there. As for the fourth pillar, promoting sustainable development and global prosperity, Al Nasser said that a lot has been done recently. Including the first high-ranking meeting to discuss desertification. As for economic issues, he said that a briefing session was held before the G20 and another session after. He also stressed that disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, remains high on the agenda of the current session. The revitalization of the disarmament machinery, including the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, remains one of the key requirements to advance that goal, he added. In addition, he praised the political will expressed at the High-level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases in September, terming it a major breakthrough by the international community in protecting the world s most vulnerable populations. (QNA)