General Assembly elects Slovakia's Lajcak as next president

AP , Wednesday 31 May 2017

Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak has been elected as the next president of the U.N. General Assembly for its 72nd session beginning in September.

The 193-member world body that represents all countries and controls the U.N.'s budget burst into applause Wednesday when current Assembly President Peter Thomson announced that Lajcak had been elected by acclamation.

Lajcak came in a distant second to Antonio Guterres in last year's race to be U.N. secretary-general. He told the assembly that during his year-long tenure he will focus on striving for peace and a decent life for all people, conflict prevention and mediation, ending poverty, migration and human rights.

He also said there is a wide view that "time is up" to reform the 15-member Security Council and he will push for it.

Short link: