The Deputy Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the UN, Ms Polly Ioannou, participated on Thursday 10/3/2022 in the informal thematic consultations of the General Assembly on the report of the UN Secretary General, "Our Common Agenda".
Ms. Ioannou supported the UN Secretary-General's proposal to hold a UN Summit on the Future, expressing the expectation that the high-level advisory council that the Secretary-General intends to appoint will make a rich contribution of ideas to Member States, with a view to adopting ambitious goals at the Summit.
The Secretary-General's vision of transforming the UN into an organization with a greater capacity to meet the challenges of the 21st century is one we agree with, but it should not detract from its ability to resolve the other challenges that have plagued us for decades. The evolution of the UN should focus on improving its effectiveness and not on rearranging its priorities where they are not justified. In this context, reform of the main UN organs should be pursued, each of which should seek to improve its functioning.
Finally, Ms. Ioannou welcomed the Secretary-General's proposal that the UN act as an umbrella for bringing together actors beyond the intergovernmental framework and consulting with them to the extent that this has added value because of their expertise. The same applies to local authorities, with whom consultation should be done with respect for the status of Member States as subjects of international law.
For the speech in English click here.
IK
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
