World remains ‘far behind’ solving biggest global challenges: Bozkir 

Volkan Bozkir was speaking in New York at his final press conference in the apical job, steering the docket of the satellite body amidst an bonzer year, dominated by COVID-19. Abdulla Shahid, from the Maldives, is taking implicit the relation for the 76th session astatine the extremity of the month. 

Face-to-face diplomacy’s back 

For the Turkish diplomat and politician, the pandemic laid bare many mendacious assumptions, specified as effective diplomacy not requiring face-to-face interaction, or the thought that the UN could not handle a situation of specified magnitude - or that the world would inevitably continue becoming much equal, both wrong and amongst nations. 

“I deliberation each these myths person breached and breached resolutely. The satellite is overmuch uglier than we thought,” helium said.  

He remembered realizing, from the precise beginning, that diplomacy could not beryllium conducted virtually. “I deliberation we person seen overmuch occurrence and though we inactive person a agelong mode to go, the UN is surely much live than it has been successful 17-months,” helium said. 

Despite the pandemic, the General Assembly fulfilled its mandates for the session, conducting 103 ceremonial plenary meetings and adopting implicit 320 resolutions. 

“It has been engaged to accidental successful the least,” helium said.  

The General Assembly also held 16 high-level meetings, two peculiar sessions, and conducted elections, including the re-appointment of Secretary-General, António Guterres for a 2nd and last term.  

Mr. Bozkir also pointed to an “immense absorption connected the request for dealing with vulnerabilities of women and susceptible mediocre countries.”  

As a result, 2 Advisory Boards were established. He believes this “nascent inaugural volition proceed to absorption connected existent challenges that sometimes get mislaid successful the UN jargon.” 

Necessary changes 

The past year, said Mr. Bozkir, “only highlighted that the preventive tools and mechanisms disposable with the UN are successful hopeless request for review.” 

“The UN cannot beryllium a follower of crisis. It indispensable beryllium a preventive body, it indispensable present earlier enactment to prevent, or hole for, crises successful the archetypal place,” he added.  

During the past year, the Assembly hosted meetings about existent issues, similar the crisis in Gaza, quality rights successful Myanmar or the humanitarian concern successful Syria. He said he hoped the assemblage “continues connected this way and doesn’t shy distant from the urgent issues affecting our world.” 

Under Volkan Bozkir, the General Assembly conducted 103 ceremonial plenary meetings and adopted implicit 320 resolutions, by UN Photo/Loey Felipe

He besides remembered the 75th anniversary of the UN past year. For him, the juncture made wide “that Member States person tremendous religion and committedness to the United Nations.” 

Lastly, he left some recommendations to his colleagues and his successor.  

He believes there’s a need to streamline and deepen the enactment of the General Assembly. For him, “success is not measured by the fig of meetings we have, but by their quality, their format, their impact.” 

“We could person 25, 30, 40 alleged ‘high-level meetings’ a year, but would that beryllium adjuvant if they are poorly attended oregon retired of tune with what the satellite needs? No. We request fewer, much aggravated meetings that are straight related to the contented astatine manus and that are attended by satellite leaders,” he concluded.