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UN General Assembly elects Slovakia’s Miroslav Lajcak as next president

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On May 31, 2017, Slovak foreign minister Miroslav Lajcak was elected as the President of 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

  • Lajcak, will succeed Fijian diplomat Peter Thomson. The 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly will commence from September 12, 2017.

Overview of Miroslav Lajcak Career in Diplomacy:

A career diplomat, Lajcak is a graduate of the Moscow State Institute for International Relations.

  • At the age of 31, Lajcak was appointed as Slovak Ambassador to Japan, and later to Yugoslavia, Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
  • In 2007, he was appointed High Representative of the International Community and EU UN General Assembly elects Slovakia’s Miroslav Lajcak as next presidentSpecial Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU was signed during his tenure.
  • In 2009, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic
  • Miroslav Lajcak became the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in 2012. In addition to these posts, he also became Chairman of the Slovak Government’s Council for Human Rights, National Minorities and Gender Equality.
  • He also launched initiatives to reach out to the population, including speaking tours and a website for dialogue with citizens.

In May 2016, the Slovak government had formally nominated Lajcak as a candidate for the position of UN Secretary-General.

About UN General Assembly:

General Assembly is the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.

  • Comprising all 193 member countries of the United Nations, it provides a unique platform for multilateral discussion on range of international issues covered by the UN Charter.
  • It also plays an important role in the process of standard-setting and the codification of international law.
  • Every year, UN General Assembly meets from September to December, and thereafter, from January to August, as required,
  • The Assembly has framed specific rules of procedure and elects its President for each session.