UN General Assembly
2018

Allow me at the outset to sincerely congratulate the President on her well- deserved election as the fourth woman to ascend to the highest seat at the United Nations. Although we are happy about her election, we can certainly take no pride in our own record as leaders. Out of 73 Presidents of General Assembly sessions to date, only four have been women. Nevertheless, all is not lost. We must resolve to walk the talk and ensure that women get the same opportunities as men, in line with the spirit of the Charter of the United Nations. I assure the President of my delegation’s full support. Her impeccable credentials and experience spanning more than two decades in the multilateral setting assure us of a successful seventy-third session. It would be remiss of me not to commend her predecessor, Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, for his noteworthy leadership during the previous session. I also wish to thank the Secretary-General for his report on the work of the Organization (A/73/1), which outlines the state of our United Nations.