Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark is elected President of the upcoming 70th session of the UN General Assembly

The United Nations General Assembly has elected Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark as President of its upcoming 70th session by acclamation. 

Mr. Lykketoft, who has served both as Denmark’s Foreign and Finance Ministers, declared, in addressing the Assembly, that his Presidency would be marked by a “commitment to action” towards building “a more fair and stable world” in line with the objectives set out by the UN Millennium Development Goals. The three priorities that, he said, would define his mandate, including a commitment to action, a surge in UN efforts to cement international peace and security, and a clear effort to support further progress for human rights.

He is seeking pragmatic and action-oriented outcomes that can provide guidance on how to proceed with timely and effective implementation for all actors – the UN system, Member States, civil society, and private sector,” and he will conduct his Presidency in “a transparent, inclusive and open manner.”

The Secretary-General said that he counted on the new General Assembly President to celebrate the upcoming UN milestones – including the Organization’s 70th anniversary – with “an even stronger commitment” to multilateralism, international cooperation and global solidarity.  In addition, Sam Kutesa, the current General Assembly President, said the world body’s 70th anniversary session will be historic, as member States are expected to adopt an ambitious and transformative post-2015 development agenda, as well as work towards a universal climate change agreement in December, under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Meanwhile there is important preparatory work still to be done, in particular, the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, to be held next month in Addis Ababa. 

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