UN General Assembly
2011

It is a great pleasure for me to extend to Mr. Al-Nasser my sincere congratulations on his election as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session. His election reflects the esteem enjoyed by the brotherly State of Qatar and the Arab world as a whole. We are 45 11-51384 confident that his rich diplomatic experience will ensure a successful session. I also take this opportunity to pay tribute to his predecessor, Mr. Joseph Deiss, for his successful efforts throughout his presidency. We also reiterate our congratulations to Mr. Ban Ki-moon on his reappointment as Secretary-General. We highly value the initiatives undertaken during his first mandate, in particular the establishment of UN-Women. I also reiterate our strong support for the priorities set by the Secretary-General for his second term. This session is taking place in a sensitive international context. The world is facing acute and complex crises, some of which are structural and persistent, including climate change and the food crisis, while others are circumstantial, such as the unprecedented financial crisis and devastating nuclear