The Chronicle interview

UN Chronicle, Sept-Nov, 2006 by Horst Rutsch, Pureterrah Witcher, Amy Pont

SHEIKHA HAYA RASHED AL KHALIFA of Bahrain was unanimously elected President of the sixty-first session of the United Nations General Assembly on 8 June 2006, taking over from Jan Eliasson of Sweden when the Assembly opened on 12 September. She is the first female to hold such position since 1969, when Angie Elisabeth Brooks of Liberia was appointed to the presidency, and one of only three women to ever serve as Assembly President--the first was Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit of India in 1953 (see page 6).

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The new President has had a long and illustrious career in both Bahraini national law and international diplomacy. From 1999 to 2004, she served as Ambassador to France, becoming the first woman to serve in this capacity for her country. A legal pioneer, she was one of the first two women in Bahrain to be admitted to practice law in 1979. She later set up her own law firm. She has since served in numerous capacities in the interest of international justice and diplomacy, including as Vice Chairwoman of the International Bar Association, a permanent delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and a legal advisor to Bahrain's Royal Court.

Sheikha Haya's most significant task as General Assembly President will likely involve the appointment of a new Secretary-General, as Kofi Annan's second and final term will expire at the end of December 2006. Customarily, following the Security Council's choice of a UN chief, the Assembly approves the decision.

The Assembly President spoke with Horst Rutsch, Pureterrah Witcher and Amy Pont of the UN Chronicle on 1 August 2006.

On priorities for the sixty-first Assembly session

During the past two months, since my election, I stayed in New York and met with many Ambassadors. I completed my meetings with the regional groups yesterday. And I can now say that I understand the point of view of most of the Member States with respect to the issues that will be on our agenda during the sixty-first session.

The question of the reform of the Organization is important to everybody. As is to be expected, every one looks at reform from their own perspective or point of view. I think my role as President of the General Assembly will be to look at all the different views and to try to arrive at compromise outcomes that will be acceptable to everyone. I also believe my first task is to listen and work closely with Member States so that together we can set priorities. Even before the beginning of the sixty-first session, we know that the Assembly will need to continue work on important priority matters that were agreed upon at the 2005 World Summit, many of which have been taken up or implemented during the sixtieth session. These include management and Secretariat reform, fighting international terrorism and reforming the Security Council. We will also have to proceed with the review of mandates, another important issue for Member States. Finding a solution in this difficult area, where there has not been much movement, is going to be critical.

Another challenge will certainly be proper follow-up of the Assembly's High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development. In addition, we will consider the report of the High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence in the areas of environment, development and humanitarian assistance. Finally, we will work to ensure that the bodies established during the 60th session--the Peacebuilding Commission, the Human Rights Council and the Central Emergency Response Fund--function well and live up to expectations.

Reform and the issue of development will therefore be very high on our agenda. Personally I don't believe in too many resolutions or too much talk. I believe in tangible results. I am gratified that Member States have agreed to make the issue of global partnership for development the main theme of this year's general debate. I look forward to hearing many suggestions and recommendations from Member States, as we develop a way forward on many of the issues that still remain. It goes without saying that all these processes can produce more results if the General Assembly looks closely at its own work and becomes more efficient, hence the need to continue to revitalize its work. As you can see, we will have a full plate of important matters that will keep us busy.

On her legal and diplomatic expertise

I feel privileged for having had the opportunity to serve in my previous capacities, and I am also grateful to my Government for the confidence placed and entrusted to me throughout the years that I have served. One thing I have learned over the years is that, while dealing with so many difficult issues, which require closely following established procedures and rules, we should not lose sight of the human dimension of our work. Indeed, first and foremost, we are dealing with people and working to address their expectations and hopes for a safer, more peaceful and more prosperous world. Therefore, in my interaction with colleagues, I will try to ensure that we keep this reality palpable, so that in our common search for workable solutions on the different issues at stake, we focus our attention on achieving balanced and fair outcomes.