Nigeria’s permanent representative to the UN, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande is chairing the 74th Genral Assemby of the United Nation that started on September 17, 2019. He was elected President of the UNGA in June of this year. Before his election, he served as the Vice-President of the General Assembly during the 71st session, a post he held until his election. The Nigerian diplomat and academic took over from Ecuadorian Maria Fernanda Espinosa.
The UN General Assembly is one of the six main organs of the UN, where several international issues enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, such as development, peace and security, international law are discussed. This year’s assembly which started on September 17, had climate change, universal health coverage and the politics of sustainable development, on the agenda.
The 61-year-old professor has pledged to reform the Security Council, making it a more democratic and efficient arm of the UN. In recent years, the 15-nation UNSC body has struggled to pass meaningful resolutions, with permanent members China, Russia, France, the US and UK often at loggerheads. “We have to have the reform, it is a democratic process. We have to continue and not lose sight of the goal, which is to have fair, just and quick reform of the Security Council,” he said in June.
The theme for this year’s UNGA is “Galvanising multilateral efforts for poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion.”
