Former United Nations General Assembly president, Sam Kutesa, says he’s proud of his work at the UN, in particular efforts to reform the Security Council and work done towards the adoption of sustainable development goals (SDG), which replace the millennium development goals that expired this year.
World leaders at the on-going UN General Assembly (UNGA) are expected to adopt the post-2015 development agenda, the follow-up to the UN’s millennium development goals which were set in 2000 with a completion date of this year.
Kutesa told VOA that 2015 has been a historic year for the world.
“The most important achievement is the agreement on the new sustainable development agenda 2015 to 2030 this is a holistic, inclusive, transformative and really big agenda to transform the world,” he said.
“We have also been successful in putting together financing for development conference and framework. This took place in Addis Ababa, it was extremely successful and now I hope that we can reach an agreement in Paris in December on Climate Change.”
He said Africa is set to benefit more from the SDGs since they are primarily fashioned to help developing countries.
Central on the agenda for this year’s general assembly are the sustainable development goals.
Other issues will be discussed and voted on in the coming year, including how to protect the climate, the treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories, disarmament and global food security.
In the final hours of his presidency Monday, Kutesa had the Assembly adopt by consensus his decision that included a negotiating text that would, for the first time, form the basis of future discussions on Council reforms that was mandated by a summit of world leaders in 2005.
The election of the successor to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will be the major task for the Assembly's 70th session.