UN General Assembly kicks off 71st session
Updated: 2016-09-14 09:24
(Xinhua)
The former General Assembly president, 61, was found dead in June in his home in Dobbs Ferry in the US state of New York, following an accident while lifting a barbell during an exercise session, US authorities said.
"As president of the Assembly, I will dedicate myself to facilitation of the transition process," Thomson said.
"Throughout the 71st, I will work to strengthen the relations between the UN's organs, continuing the practice of holding regular meetings with the secretary-general, the president of the Security Council, and the president of ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council), and I will inform the membership as to the scope of these meetings," he said.
"And in addition to upholding the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, during the 71st session, I will seek to give greater prominence to ethics in the work of the United Nations," he said.
To show his firm determination to help the world implement the SDGs, the General Assembly president invited his two grand daughters -- seven and five years old -- to the podium of the General Assembly hall, and said, "They will become two young adults in 2030," the deadline of the SDGs, a set of 17 sustainable development targets.