Ashe elected president of 68th UN session

The UN General Assembly Friday elected by acclamation Ambassador John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda as President of its upcoming 68th session.

Taking the floor immediately after his election, Mr. Ashe, who is Antigua and Barbuda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, said that in 18 months, the world body would launch an agenda for sustainable development for all, which “may very well be the boldest and most ambitious project that the United Nations has ever had to accomplish.”

“In order to succeed, the General Assembly needs to be equally bold, ambitious and collaborative if we are to rise to the task we are about to undertake and ensure its completion,” he said, adding “failure is not an option. Let us show the world…we can be bold and decisive in our actions.”

While it was important to draw on past experiences, lessons learnt from the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), he said that it would also be important to reflect on new and emerging development challenges, with attention to two main goals: overcoming poverty and ensuring sustainable development.

(Published by The Nation - June 15, 2013)