FROM GENERAL ASSEMBLY PODIUM, ALBANIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR UN REFORM

FROM GENERAL ASSEMBLY PODIUM, ALBANIAN PRESIDENT CALLS FOR UN REFORM
New York, Sep 27 2012 8:10PM
>From the podium of the General Assembly, Albania's President Bujar Nishani today called on the United Nations to reform itself to better tackle the multiple crises facing the world.

"Notwithstanding an unprecedented global awareness, climate change remains a major source of preoccupation," President Nishani <"http://gadebate.un.org/sites/default/files/gastatements/67/AL_en.pdf">told the 67th Assembly on the third day of its annual General debate, at UN Headquarters in New York. "The continued deteriorating global economic climate continues to be a permanent disturbing source of anxiety everywhere.

"Threats to peace and security in different parts of the world show how far we still are from achieving the desired global security," he added. "It is therefore only just that we expect the United Nations, the organization we have placed at the centre of international architecture, to be more responsive, efficient, effective and transparent."

President Nishani noted that Albania, in June, hosted the 5th High Level Conference on Delivering as One, the initiative aimed at enabling the United Nations and its various agencies and programmes to strengthen their collective capacity to support countries' efforts to overcome poverty, hunger, inequity and achieve other development priorities.

"A growing number of countries are looking more clearly and closely to the benefits of having the UN work and implement assistance program with more coherence and efficiency," he said.

"Delivering as One has convincingly shown in practice how the operational activities of the United Nations could be delivered with higher efficiency and how the UN system can do better and more with less, in reaching the national and internationally agreed development goals," he added.

Other topics covered in his statement to the gathering included the Middle East peace process, Iran's nuclear programme, the crisis in Syria and the status of Kosovo.

The Albanian President is one of scores of world leaders and other high-level officials presenting their views and comments on issues of individual national and international relevance at the Assembly's General Debate, which ends on 1 October.
Sep 27 2012 8:10PM
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