However, the universal “high purpose” of the seventy-first session would be momentum on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving progress on all 17 Goals, he said. That would require transforming systems and overcoming intellectual barriers, and without its implementation, the future would be in jeopardy. He pledged to serve the Assembly and the United Nations in the spirit of fidelity and commitment to the common good, in accord with the purposes and principles of the Charter.
Extending his congratulations, Mogens Lykketoft (Denmark), President of the seventieth session, noted that Mr. Thomson brought extensive experience working in matters of rural development and had also engaged with international affairs for many years. He expressed his support for Mr. Thomson’s preparations to assume the presidency on 13 September. Until that date, much work remained to be done during the seventieth session’s final three months, including preparing for the high-level event on large movement of refugees and migrants in September, the Assembly’s revitalization, and further informal dialogues with candidates for the position of Secretary-General, as necessary. He was determined to leave behind a strong Assembly that all States and people could look up to and depend upon, making it more transparent, inclusive and effective.