Fijian diplomat Peter Thomson elected next president of UN General Assembly
It was the first time a representative from the Pacific island states was chosen for the largely honorific post in the UN’s 71-year history
The UN General Assembly – in a rare contested election – voted for its next president on Monday, selecting its first representative from a small developing island state in the Asia-Pacific region.
Fiji’s UN Ambassador Peter Thomson will take up the post of 71st General Assembly president in mid-September. He garnered 94 votes, beating his competitor from Cyprus by a slim four-vote margin.
“We bring special perspectives on climate change and on oceans issues and you can expect me to be vocal on those in the 71st session,” Thomson, who previously served as vice president of the General Assembly in 2011-2012, told the 193-member body after being elected.
President-elect Thomson brings a broad perspective to his new post
The largely ceremonial but prestigious UN General Assembly presidency rotates annually between five geographic areas and this year was the turn for an Asia-Pacific representative to preside over assembly meetings.
