STATEMENT BY
MR. MOHD HAFIZ OTHMAN
MINISTER COUNSELLOR, PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AT THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON THE REVITALIZATION OF THE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (AHWG)
NEW YORK, 11 FEBRUARY 2021
Co-Chairs,
All protocols observed. Congratulations on your appointment as Co-Chairs for this session, and thank you PGA for your valuable remarks today.
2. Malaysia wishes to align itself with the statement delivered by Algeria on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement. I will add several points in my national capacity.
Co-Chairs,
3. For Malaysia, effective multilateralism with the UN at its core remains key. In this context, Malaysia has been consistent in advocating the importance of UN reform, including the General Assembly. A revitalised General Assembly, the most representative organ of the UN, is indeed crucial in reforming the UN to ensure that the organisation is fit for purpose.
Co-Chairs,
4. We have seen some tangible progress made on the revitalization process during the previous sessions. Moving forward, my delegation wishes to stress the following points:
- First: On streamlining the agenda of the General Assembly. We should seriously aim for better reprioritization and elimination of duplication and overlap of agenda items where necessary. Consideration of agenda items in the plenary meetings shall only be reserved for global or major political importance issues. We also need to engage in a serious discussion about how to rationalise and limit the number of high-level meetings and side events held in parallel with the General Debate during the High-level Week. Malaysia also calls for greater synergies, coherence, and complementarity between the agenda of the General Assembly, its Committees, ECOSOC, and its subsidiary bodies. In this context, we will continue to engage and fully support the leadership of the Permanent Representatives of Bangladesh and Slovenia on the alignment process.
- Second: Malaysia calls for continued accountability, transparency, and strengthening of the institutional memory of the PGA’s office. We wish to reiterate our call for the PGA to continue sharing relevant information and outcomes of the official engagements and activities with Member States in a timely manner.
- Third: We support the call for sufficient allocation of human and financial resources to the PGA's office to ensure better functioning of the office in executing the relevant mandates, including in better preparing for transitions between presidencies. In this regard, Malaysia is pleased to place a diplomat under secondment programme in the current PGA's office, and we encourage other Member States to do so in the future.
- Finally, on the selection and appointment of the Secretary-General and other executive heads of the UN. In view of the Secretary-General's election this year, we join others in calling for a transparent, inclusive, and accountable process for the selection of the Secretary-General.
Co-Chairs,
5. Malaysia remains committed to contributing to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the General Assembly. I would like to assure you that Malaysia will continue to engage constructively in the proceedings of this Ad Hoc Working Group.
Thank you.
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