UN General Assembly gets new president

The UN General Assembly, by consensus, on Monday night in New York elected Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark as the president of its 70th session. A report from UN said Lykketoft succeeds Sam Kutesa of Uganda. It said he would take over the ceremonial position at the world body on September 15, just before world leaders gather for annual high-level meetings at the UN to celebrate its 70th anniversary. Lykketoft, former Foreign Minister and Speaker of the Danish Parliament, in his acceptance speech, said the theme of his presidency would be ‘a new commitment to action’. “I aim to organise our work in a way that allows us to reflect on the successes – but also the shortcomings – in these first 70 years, while also looking to the future”, he said. Lykketoft said during the 70th session, the Assembly would consider sustainable development goals, which are global development benchmarks to be met in the next 15 years. He said the goals are to include an agreement to mitigate the effects of climate change, which could be decided at the end of 2015 in Paris. Lykketoft, who turns 70 during the next session of the Assembly, would be the first Danish to hold the presidency of the Assembly, for which regional groups nominate one candidate during their turn.