Hungarian elected UNGA president as it faces 'perfect storm' of crises

United Nations, June 8 (IANS) The UN is facing a "perfect storm" of crises that tests its credibility, Hungarian diplomat and environmental official Csaba Korosi has said after his unanimous election as the president of the General Assembly's next session.

Addressing the Assembly after his election on Tuesday to succeed Abdullah Shahid in September, Korosi said, "We live in times that rock the foundation this Organisation was built upon. With multiple crises looming, nothing less than the credibility of the UN is at stake".

The war in Ukraine has combined with the food and energy shortages and the climate emergency to create a "perfect storm", he said.

"The only way out of our current predicament is through continued reforms and transformation of this Organisation and strengthening our cooperation," he declared.

He said that "Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science" would be the motto of the 77th Assembly session that starts in September.

India's Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumurti congratulated Korosi on Twitter and said, "We look forward to working closely with you for a fruitful and productive #UNGA77".

Sixteen vice presidents were elected unanimously and they include Nepal and Israel.

The Assembly presidency rotates among the five regional groups at the UN and it was the East Europeans' turn this time.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, "Korosi brings a broad perspective to his new post - a familiarity with the United Nations from his time as permanent representative, expertise in environmental sustainability, and steadfast commitment to multilateral action."

Korosi, who has over 40 years of experience as a diplomat, is currently the director of Environmental Sustainability in the Hungarian president's office and had served as the deputy state secretary responsible for security policy, multilateral diplomacy and human rights.

On the challenges to the Assembly, Guterres said, "We face a world in peril".

The months ahead will test the multilateral system and "the world looks to you to debate, to forge consensus, and - most of all - to deliver solutions", he told the Assembly.

"The General Assembly is central to everything we do," he said.

With the Security Council irrevocably deadlocked over the Russian invasion of Ukraine because of Moscow's veto and on North Korea's missile test by China, the Assembly is taking on a more central role, even though it lacks the Council's powers of enforcement.

Frustrated by the vetoes, the Assembly adopted a procedure in April to automatically take up within ten days the issue of any veto in the Council.

As president, Korosi can be expected to pilot the Assembly through the issue of the Ukraine war and several other issues through a UN that is seeing a degree of polarisation not seen since the Cold War.