Co-Chairs,
We appreciate the convening of this thematic debate on the Role and Authority of the General Assembly. We endorse the statement by the delegation of Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement.
When we speak of the General Assembly, we refer to all the States it comprises, under equal conditions and without distinction, for this reason, it is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN.
The role and authority of the General Assembly are clearly established in the founding Charter of the United Nations, being its full respect unavoidable. By strengthening the role and authority of the Assembly, we strengthen our commitment to the purposes and principles of the UN and consolidate the democratic and participatory nature of this main organ.
Full respect for the provisions and regulations established by the General Assembly, including its Rules of Procedure, is a shared responsibility that shall be strictly observed.
Co-Chairs,
Cuba reiterates that the interaction among the main organs of the United Nations should be carried out in accordance with their respective functions, authority, powers and competence enshrined in the Charter.
Transparency in the interaction among the main UN organs should prevail. In this regard, we welcome the distribution of informative summaries of the meetings held between the President of the General Assembly and the Presidents of ECOSOC and the Security Council, without distinction.
In regard to the interaction between the Security Council and the General Assembly, we reiterate the call for the cessation of the Council’s growing and dangerous tendency to invade the scope of action of the Assembly, which entails a violation of the procedures.
In like manner, we regret that the Security Council continues to submit to the General Assembly annual reports that constitute a mere descriptive overview of the meetings, activities and decisions of the Council, instead of including an explanatory, exhaustive and analytical content on the work of this organ, enabling the evaluation of the causes and implications of its decisions.
Likewise, it is regrettable that the Security Council still does not submit the special reports on its actions for the consideration of the General Assembly, as provided in the Charter, in its Articles 15 and 24.
Regarding the interaction between the Secretariat and the General Assembly, we hope that as a result of the ongoing revitalization process, this interaction will be further strengthened and the Secretariat will be able to efficiently, professionally, responsibly and impartially respond to the mandates determined by the member states.
Co-Chairs,
Aligning the agenda of the General Assembly with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development is not an easy task. It is necessary to have a common understanding of the so-called "overlaps and duplications", as we have reiterated on several occasions, the recurrence of an item on the agenda of the Plenary and its Committees, cannot be considered as duplication, this is a very superficial conclusion.
We reiterate that any proposal to change the frequency in the consideration of items and resolutions, as well as their possible elimination, should be consulted first with the Member State sponsoring the item and resolution. No decision will be made until the member state concerned expresses its agreement or disagreement with the proposal.
Co-Chairs,
The communication work carried out by the Department of Public Information, according to its mandate, remains fundamental to raise public awareness on the role of the General Assembly in the promotion of development and peace. It is very important that each working process of the Assembly be equally circulated.
We take this opportunity to extend our congratulations for the timely management of the contents published on the websites of the President and of the General Assembly, respectively. This greatly facilitates access to relevant information by the Missions.
We have noted a marked interest in convening high level events during the holding of the general debate. We note that in recent years these events have increased considerably, being held simultaneously with the general debate. The member states should carefully analyze this situation, in order to ensure that the high level general debate continues to be the focus of the General Assembly's work at the beginning of its session, with the required level of participation and attention.
I conclude by reiterating our willingness to continue supporting the revitalization process of the General Assembly, which consolidates its democratic and participatory nature.
Thank you very much.