UN General Assembly
2008

Allow me to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-third session. I am pleased to see a member of our regional group of Latin America and the Caribbean in that high office. I am convinced that your longstanding diplomatic experience and in-depth knowledge of current international issues will enable you to successfully discharge the high responsibility of your office. I would also like to recognize the able stewardship and valuable work of your predecessor, Mr. Srgjan Kerim, during the Assembly’s sixty-second session. To the Secretary-General of the Organization, His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, I pledge Suriname’s full support in implementing the resolutions of the United Nations to achieve the objectives of the United Nations Charter for sustainable development, international peace and security and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. We are commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this year, while many of these rights are still under serious pressure. New threats, such as global warming and climate change and most recently the global food and