The UAE has made a US$300,000 donation to the Office of the President of the United Nations General Assembly, presented by Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN, to the President of the General Assembly for the 72nd Session, Miroslav Lajcak, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia.

"In the UAE, we believe that multilateral diplomacy plays a critical role in addressing the multiple challenges the world is facing, and the General Assembly is a key forum for progress," said Nusseibeh. "Our contribution to the Office of the President of the General Assembly is a representation of our commitment to the UN, and our dedication to driving multilateral solutions to global issues."

Each year, the UAE has provided financial contributions to the office of each incoming President of the General Assembly, and is committed to supporting its efforts during the Session.

During the opening meeting of the 72nd session, Lajcak, in his first address as President of the General Assembly, opened his remarks with an emphasis on aiming for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet.

Attended by members of the UAE Mission, Lajcak assured members of the assembly that he would be focused on quality and transparency in his work, and highlighted the importance of the upcoming negotiations on the Global Compact on Safely, Orderly, and Regular Migration. Lajcak noted that one of the items on the current session’s agenda is UN reforms, and expressed the importance of revitalising the organisation to better meet the needs of member states.

In his final remarks, outgoing President of the General Assembly, Peter Thomson, recognised the commitment of member states in strengthening the role and work of the General Assembly. Additionally, UN’s Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has now appointed Thomson as First Special Envoy for the Oceans, seeking to galvanise efforts to protect the world’s seas, where he will implement the recommendations of the first-ever UN conference on oceans he spearheaded in June 2017.

The UAE has been actively involved in improving the General Assembly and its working methods. Recently, Nusseibeh completed co-facilitating negotiations of the Ad Hoc Working Group dedicated to revitalising the work of the General Assembly, alongside its co-chair, Vladimir Drobnjak, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Croatia to the UN.

This resulted in the adoption of General Assembly Resolution, which called for increased transparency in the election for the post of the President of the General Assembly.