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“The context in which we are working,?serves to remind us of the necessity of the multilateralism system”,?Volkan?Bozkir?told?delegates?sitting distanced apart in the gilded?hall?at New York Headquarters.

He?expressed?that it was a?deep?honour?to?be?hosting?the?session,?noting the importance of meeting?in person,?“so?long as health conditions allow”,?and affirmed his intension?to convene?face-to-face?meetings?as much as possible.

Heads of States converge online

Mr.?Bozkir?told the plenary?that next week?the General Debate would?be?addressed by?more Heads of State?than ever before.

He asserted that?two weeks?of?crucial High-level meetings,?“will guide our work for the?session”?and?expressed?confidence that their impact?“will not be compromised by the circumstances”.

A full agenda

The newly minted?Assembly?president?promised to do his “utmost to support and lead”?the high-level meetings to commemorate the?75th anniversary of the UN; the?; a??to promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons;?and the?Biodiversity Summit.

“During the 75th session, we will hold two General Assembly Special Sessions”,?he informed the plenary,?“one on?COVID-19?– the first Special Session convened to discuss a pandemic – and the second against corruption”.

Mr.?Bozkir?also?set out a list of priorities for his tenure, which include reviewing the?UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,?commemorating the?25th anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development,?and?preparing for the?Fifth UN?Conference on Least Developed Countries.

There will also be a??and targets of the???and?Oceans Conference, together with?revitalizing the work of the Assembly,?and?discussions over?Security Council?reform.

“I will also work with you to successfully implement the various mandates entrusted to me”, he assured.

A?critical year

After?warmly congratulating?Mr.?Bozkir,?Secretary-General?António Guterres?offered?his full support and committed partnership.

“This year will be a critical one in the life of our Organization”, he?said.?“We must continue to respond to the immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening health systems and supporting the development and equitable distribution of treatments and vaccines”.

The UN chief highlighted?the need to?build a strong recovery, based on the 2030 Agenda and the,? while continuing?the Assembly’s?work across the full range of global challenges?ahead, including?peace and security,?disarmament,?human rights,?gender equality,?and sustainable development.

Three-quarters of a century

Marking?the?75th?anniversary?milestone,?Mr. Guterres observed that the world has high expectations of the?UN as the main multilateral platform?in a rules-based international system.

“The nature of multilateralism is changing, and I have frequently pointed to the need for a more networked and inclusive multilateralism for the 21st century”, he?flagged, welcoming the?Assembly’s?pledge?“to work towards consolidating trust and cohesion”?among Member States, major groups?of countries, and other?international organizations.

In closing, the Secretary-General said he looked?forward to working closely with?the Assembly president?during the 75th Session,?“to address our shared objectives”?and?offered?the cooperation and support of?“the entire Secretariat”.

“I wish you a very successful mandate”, he concluded.

‘Great strides’

Outgoing?President?Tijjani?Muhammad-Bande?finished off his extraordinary year in office,?having to steer the 74th?session through the beginning of the pandemic,?by?paying?tribute to?former Secretary-General?Javier Pérez de?Cuélla,?and?Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza – both of whom passed?away?in 2020.

He thanked?the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General for their “unprecedented support” along with Secretariat staff,?without whom the “Assembly could not have functioned well”.

“We started this session guided by the hopes and aspirations of the people we serve”, he said, noting that the Assembly has made “great strides” in? galvanizing multilateral efforts to tackle?poverty eradication and zero hunger, quality education, climate action, and inclusion.

COVID impact

Mr.?Muhammad-Bande?pointed out that the first High-level Meeting of the Assembly focused on global health, before anyone knew that the year would be defined by a pandemic.

“The emergence of the novel corona virus (COVID-19) has shown that we have to continue to deepen multilateral cooperation in the health sector”,?including?scaling up national and global efforts?“to build a healthier world for all”, he asserted.

He?expressed?gratitude?that,?at the onset of the pandemic,?Member States adopted two decisions?that?allowed more than 70 resolutions?to be passed,?and?the?Chairs of the Main Committees for the 75th session?to be elected.

‘Choose unity over discord’

Underscoring?the importance of the?Assembly,?he recalled that?it was?“founded upon equality of voice and vote” and its resolutions?reflect the?“aspirations of humanity”.

“This is?a moment of reckoning for our shared planet and future…a time for action, ambition, equality, inclusion, and partnership”, Mr.?Muhammad-Bande?said, stressing?the need to keep youth engaged in the Organization’s?work.

It is only in doing so can the world be “certain of peace, justice and development”, he endorsed.

“We must continue to thoughtfully define our actions and uphold our pledge to leave no one behind, even in the face of disagreement”, he said, bowing out of office gracefully.?“Indeed, in spite of disagreement, we must practice empathy and choose unity over discord”.