Introductory Remarks
by H.E. Han Seung-soo, President of the UNGA
for Press Briefing

December 21, 2001

Thank you very much, Mr. Tharoor, and good morning ladies and gentlemen. As we come to the end of
both the regular session of the General Assembly and the calendar year 2001, I think this is a good
opportunity to look back upon the last one hundred days of my dency and share with you my observations
of this 56th session of the UN General Assembly.

I think we would all agree that this has been one of the most eventful and extraordinary sessions in the
history of the United Nations. Before my election, I had certain ideas about how it would unfold and what
would happen, but in no way could I have imagined what actually came to be.

On the morning of September 11, I was attending a prayer breakfast in the Delegates Dining Room when
tragedy struck just a few miles away and thus set the tenor for this session. After a one-day
postponement, on 12 September, the General Assembly began its work by unanimously adopting a strong
resolution condemning this heinous terrorist attack. It also decided to reschedule the Special Session on
Children, and it soon became obvious that the General Debate would likewise have to be rescheduled for
the first time ever.

Despite the difficult start, our work progressed in a relatively timely and efficient manner on the many
important issues before the Assembly, owing in large part to the superlative efforts of the Chairs of the
Main Committees, Vice Presidents and the Secretariat staff. We went ahead with the High-level Dialogue
on Economic Cooperation for Development and had a very useful discussion on the Secretary-General’s
Road Map report on the work of the ganization.

On the first of October, mayor Giuliani spoke to the General embly, following which an unprecedented
number of speakers stressed the need to urgently address the issue of international terrorism. This item,
normally discussed in the Sixth Committee, was before the plenary for a five full days. Later, the Sixth
Committee produced a strong draft resolution condemning terrorism and came very close to agreeing upon
a draft for a comprehensive convention on ternational terrorism. Work on achieving this goal will continue in
late anuary next year.

But the session was not just about terrorism. A highlight of the session was the “Dialogue among
Civilizations,” to which we devoted two days. I believe this marked a major milestone in moting inter-faith
and inter-cultural understanding, and I hope it will serve as a precedent for similar initiatives in the future.

In addition, we were finally able to hold the General Debate over a seven-day period and under a new
format, hearing a record number of speakers, including 41 Heads of State and Government, 9 Deputy prime
Ministers and 96 Foreign Ministers. The new format was well received on the whole and will probably be
utilized again. With an agenda containing 177 items, the General Assembly has adopted resolutions on a
wide range of issues, from emergency humanitarian assistance to implementing the Millennium
Declaration and from the law of the sea to demilitarization of outer space.

I am especially pleased to note that the General Assembly this year marks a turning point in its discussion
of the agenda item on the situation in Afghanistan which has been taken up by the General Assembly
since 1980 in accordance with resolution 462.

In response to the rapidly changing situation in that country, the General Assembly and the Security
Council have taken coordinated measures to restore peace and security and to reconstruct the war-
ravaged nation. The Security Council has adopted a series of resolutions on the situation in Afghanistan by
consensus, and the General Assembly will also soon adopt a resolution on the item by sensus. During
this process, I have closely consulted with the Secretary-General and the President of the Security
Council.

I now believe there are excellent prospects, both short- and longer-term, for a positive transformation of the
situation in ghanistan. In this regard, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Secretary-
General, Special Representative Mr. Brahimi, President of the Security Council and its members.

When the regular session ends, I expect that we will have adopted 275 resolutions and have held about 95
plenary meetings. Even so, consideration of some agenda items had to be deferred.

Though the session began on a very somber note, our spirits were considerably lifted when we learned of
the joint award of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize to the United Nations and its Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi
Annan. This is an accolade in which the entire UN amily” can rightly share. However, I think it is important
that we do not view it complacently as merely a recognition of past achievements. Rather, we should see
it as a summons by the international community to do even more and better in the future. On a personal
note, let me say that I was both deeply honoured and very grateful to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in
Oslo on behalf of the United Nations.

And so this year’s regular session, which ends soon, has been a period of extremes for the United Nations
and for me personally. We will never forget the tragedy and triumph of the past one hundred days. But I
have no doubt that the UN will emerge from this period as a more effective and self-confident organization
than ever before.

Thank you for your courtesy and attention. I will now try to answer any questions you may have.