UN General Assembly
2011

Solomon Islands, with much pride, wishes to thank our Secretary- General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, for honouring my country with a historic visit earlier this month. He is the first Secretary-General to have set foot on a Pacific small island developing State with least developed country (LDC) status. His re-election 13 11-51372 to a second five-year term speaks to his strong conviction in advancing multilateralism and his attentiveness to the challenges facing all members, including the vulnerable countries. We once again pledge our support to the Secretary-General during his second term in office. Let me take this opportunity to acknowledge the leadership and tireless work of Mr. Joseph Deiss as President of the General Assembly during the past session, and to congratulate the President of the current session on his election. I am confident that, under his leadership, the responsibilities of the United Nations will be strengthened, especially at a time when there is nervousness in world markets, with the threat of a possible double-dip recession becoming more real every day; a time when the world is witnessing unrest