UN General Assembly
2011

Mr. President, allow me, on behalf of the Government and people of Papua New Guinea, to offer our warmest congratulations on your assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. We pledge support for your statement highlighting the success of global endeavours that are founded on the principles of partnership, justice and responsibility. I also thank your predecessor, Mr. Joseph Diess, for his invaluable contributions to the United Nations, and I wish him well. I also wish to congratulate the Secretary-General, His Excellency Mr. Ban Ki-moon, on his reappointment for a second term, and to thank him for attending our recent annual Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in Auckland, New Zealand. His attendance at our regional meeting was the first by a United Nations Secretary-General and is testament to the strengthening ties between the United Nations and the Pacific region. We particularly note his heartfelt comments when describing his experiences on witnessing the adverse effects of climate change on low-lying atolls in the Republic of Kiribati and the various other development