Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has emerged President of the 74th UN General Assembly.

Muhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

He is the second Nigerian to hold the office after Joseph Garba, a retired military officer and diplomat, who led the organ between 1989 and 1990.

He will be inaugurated in September.

On her verified Twitter handle, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the President of the 73rd Session promised support for the incoming president.

She tweeted, “My sincere congratulations to HE Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande #Nigeria, for his election as 74th #UNGA President. Amb. Tijjani brings with him an outstanding career both as scholar & diplomat. My team & I will be at your disposal to ensure the smoothest transition possible.” </s> Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has emerged President of the 74th UN General Assembly.Muhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York on Tuesday.He is the second Nigerian to hold the office after Joseph Garba, a retired military officer and diplomat, who led the organ between 1989 and 1990.He will be inaugurated in September. </s> Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has emerged President of the 74th UN General Assembly.

Muhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

He is the second Nigerian to hold the office after Joseph Garba, a retired military officer and diplomat, who led the organ between 1989 and 1990.

”Maj.- Gen. Joseph Garba (Rtd) was the President of the 44th session of the United Nations General Assembly between 1989 and 1990.

Muhammad-Bande will officially takes over from the current President, María Garcés in September.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has applauded the emergence of Prof. Muhammad–Bande, as the President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly.

The ministry’s Acting Spokesperson, Mr Friday Akpan, in a statement in Abuja said the election is a positive development and demonstrates the confidence in Nigeria’s ability to pilot the affairs of the revered global institution. </s> Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations, UN, has been elected president of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA.

He was elected in an unopposed vote on Tuesday (June 4) to serve the one-year role. The election of the President of the 74th session of the General Assembly took place in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York.

He becomes the 74th holder of the position taking over from Ecuardorian María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés whose tenure ended with Muhammad-Bande’s election.

Going by established principle of geographical rotation and relevant UN resolutions, the Presidency of the 74th session had reached the trun of Africa, hence Mohammad-Bande’s election was widely expected.

The immediate past president – the fourth woman to be elected to the post in the history of the world body – took office on 5 June 2018. She was also the first since woman 2006.

Having been formally nominated by the Nigerian government for the position, the then nominee went through informal interactive dialogues with the view to increasing the transparency and inclusivity of the process. The dialogue took place on 13 May 2019, at UNHQ, New York.

The last time Africa held the presidency was in 2014/2015 when Uganda’s Sam Kahamba Kutesa led the 69th session. Aside the normal sessions, the UNGA also calls for special and emergency special sessions that usually have different presidents.

About the Ordinary Sessions and its president

The General Assembly meets annually in regular session, intensively from September to December, and resumes in January until all issues on the agenda are addressed – which often is just before the next session starts.

Since the 60th session in 2005, the President-elect of the General Assembly suggests a theme of global concern for the upcoming general debate, based on informal discussions with Member States, the President of the current session of the General Assembly, and the Secretary-General.

Shortly after his/her election, the President-elect sends a letter to all Member States announcing the theme for the upcoming general debate and inviting them to focus their speeches on the proposed theme.

READ MORE: Past Sessions of the UNGA

The General Assembly is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, the only one in which all Member States have equal representation: one nation, one vote.

All 193 Member States of the United Nations are represented in this unique forum to discuss and work together on a wide array of international issues covered by the UN Charter, such as development, peace and security, international law, etc.

In September, all the Members meet in the General Assembly Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session. </s> Members of the United Nations General Assembly have chosen the Nigerian ambassador to the world body as its next president.

Members of the United Nations General Assembly have chosen the Nigerian ambassador to the world body as its next president.

They elected Tijjani Muhammad-Bande on Tuesday to preside over the 74th UN session for one year, starting in September.

He is the second Nigerian president of the 193-member policy-making General Assembly.

Joseph Nanven Garba was president during the 1989-1990 session.

The incoming president told General Assembly members that when the United Nations convenes in September, its highest priorities will include climate change, universal health coverage, gender equality and the eradication of poverty and hunger.

The 61-year-old career diplomat is a native of Zagga in north-west Nigeria and has a master’s degree in political science from Boston University. </s> Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s current UN Permanent Representative, was elected to head the world body by acclamation on Tuesday in the General Assembly Hall in New York and will succeed Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa.

The newly-elected @UN General Assembly President @UN_PGA, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria, was elected Tuesday. Here's our news video of the day. pic.twitter.com/goG8e4N6Wf — UN News (@UN_News_Centre) June 4, 2019

“Peace and security, poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, climate action and inclusion will constitute a major priority of my presidency”, said the Nigerian ambassador.

When he takes the reins at opening of the 74th session in September, he committed “to promoting partnerships that are needed from all stakeholders to achieve our objectives, and ultimately ensure that we do our best to ensure peace and prosperity, particularly, for the most vulnerable”.

Mr. Muhammad-Bande spoke about a number of September’s high-level events that will be convened at UN Headquarters in New York to support the Sustainable Development Agenda, including a High-Level Political Forum, the Climate Change Summit, the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, the High-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage, as well as the high-level meeting to review progress made in addressing the priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

“The promotion of human rights and the empowerment of women and youth deserve special attention, and I will be devoted to the promotion of gender parity throughout the whole UN system, starting from my own Office”, said the president-elect.

Noting that the 75th anniversary of the UN’s founding would be commemorated during his tenure, he called it “a unique opportunity for us to reduce the trust deficit between nations”.

To “achieve the visions of our founding fathers, we must ensure that indifference and cynicism does not creep into our Organization”, he asserted, saying that the 193-nation Assembly “must play its role in bridging the gaps and promoting collective action”. </s> The United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Tuesday in New York elected Nigerian Professor, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, as the President of the 74th Session of the Assembly.

Muhammad-Bande, who has had an outstanding career as a scholar and diplomat, has a B.Sc (Political Science) from the Ahmadu Bello University, MA (Political Science), Boston University and Ph.D (Political Science), University of Toronto, Canada.

A press statement from the UN said Muhammad-Bande started at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, rising from Graduate Assistant in 1980 to full Professor in 1998, and ultimately to Vice-Chancellor, in 2004, a position he held for five years.

The statement added that he served as the Director-General of Le Centre Africain de Formation et de Recherche Administratives pour le Dèveloppement (CAFRAD), in Tangier, Morocco between 2000-2004.

He held the position of Director-General of Nigeria’s National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, the Nigeria’s most reputable policy institution for training leaders from the public and private sectors, including high echelon officials of Nigeria’s Armed Forces from 2010 to 2016.

The statement reads in part: “As Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he worked with colleagues from all regions of the World to achieve common objectives and served as the Vice-President of the General Assembly during the 71st session.

“Muhammad-Bande who is to assume duties in September has remain active in several fora, including as Chair of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34), Member, Advisory Board of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre and Chair of the ECOWAS Group (2018-2019).”

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres while congratulating Mr Muhammad-Bande, noted that as Nigerian and an African, “you have invaluable insights into the continent’s challenges”.

“It is my pleasure to congratulate Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande as President of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly. From your years as Permanent Representative of Nigeria, you know the United Nations well.

“As a Nigerian and an African, you have invaluable insights into the continent’s challenges – such as the Sahel and Lake Chad basin – and more broadly into the challenges our world faces across the three pillars of our work, peace, sustainable development and human rights.”

The Secretary General noted that Muhammad-Bande would be in office as the United Nations geared up to commemorate her 75th anniversary – an occasion that he hoped could be used to reaffirm the value of international cooperation and the vision of the Charter. </s> The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday picked Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, permanent representative of Nigeria to the UN, as its next president.

The 193-member General Assembly, one of UN’s highest policy-making bodies, will have Muhammad-Bande presiding over its 74th session, which is scheduled to kick off in September.

“The implementation of the existing mandates and the 2030 Agenda with particular focus on peace and security, poverty and education, zero hunger, quality education, climate action, and inclusion will constitute the major priorities of my presidency,” said Muhammad-Bande after he was elected by acclamation to the top UNGA post.

“I am committed to promoting partnerships that are needed from all stakeholders to achieve our objectives and ultimately ensure that we do our best to ensure peace and prosperity, particularly for the most vulnerable,” he added.

The office of the UNGA changes every year between the five geographic groups: African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European.

In full respect of the established principle of geographical rotation and General Assembly resolution 33/138 of Dec. 19, 1978, the president of the 74th session of the UNGA was to be elected from the African states.

In line with the new process, the president of the 73rd session of the UNGA convened an informal interactive dialogue with the candidate nominated by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 13.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday dispatched a delegation to New York to drum up support for the country’s candidate in the election.

Muhammad-Bande will be the second Nigerian UNGA president after Joseph Nanven Garba, who held the position between 1989 and 1990. </s> UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Members of the United Nations General Assembly have chosen the Nigerian ambassador to the world body as its next president.

They elected Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (teeh-JAH'-neeh moo-HAH'-mahd BAN-deeh) by acclamation on Tuesday to preside over the 74th U.N. session for one year, starting in September.

He's the second Nigerian president of the 193-member policy-making General Assembly. Joseph Nanven Garba was president during the 1989-1990 session.

The incoming president told General Assembly members that when the United Nations convenes in September, its highest priorities will include climate change, universal health coverage, gender equality and the eradication of poverty and hunger.

The 61-year-old career diplomat is a native of Zagga in northwest Nigeria and has a master's degree in political science from Boston University.
Nigerian diplomat Tijjani Muhammad-Bande is elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, assuming the office on September and succeeding Peruvian María Fernanda Espinosa.