The general debate of the sixty-third session of the United Nations General Assembly was the first debate of the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly that ran from 23 – 29 September 2008. Leaders from a number of member states addressed the General Assembly.
Organisation The speaking order of the general debate is different from the speaking order of other General Assembly debates. For the general debate, the Secretary-General speaks first delivering their "Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization, " they are then followed by: the President of the General Assembly who opens the general debate, the delegate from Brazil and the delegate from the United States of America. After this, the order is first given to Member States, then Observer States and supranational bodies. For all other Member States, speaking order is based on their level of representation at the general debate, order preference and other criteria such as geographic balance.
According to the rules in place for the general debate, statements should be made in one of the United Nations' official languages of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish, and are translated by United Nations translators. Additionally, speakers are usually limited to a 15-minute time limit in order to comply with the schedule set up by the General Committee. Member States are also advised to provide 350 paper copies of their statements in order for them to be distributed to other Member States, as well as to translation services.
The theme for the 64th Session was chosen by President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann as: "The impact of the global food crisis on poverty and hunger in the world as well as the need to democratize the United Nations."
Speaking schedule 23 September 2008 Morning Session
– Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization) – President of the 63rd Session of the General Assembly Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann (Opening) – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – President George W. Bush – President Nicolas Sarkozy – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani – President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf – President Abdullah Gül – President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – President Marc Ravalomanana – President Boris Tadić – President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (On behalf of the African Union) – Vice-President Didjob Divungi Di Ndinge
Afternoon Session
– President Tarja Halonen – Chairman of the Presidency Haris Silajdžić – President Paul Kagame – President Valdas Adamkus – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – President Michel Sleiman – President Mwai Kibaki – President Martín Torrijos – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – President Bharrat Jagdeo – President Mikheil Saakashvili – President Evo Morales – President Hifikepunye Pohamba – President Thomas Boni Yayi
24 September 2008 Morning Session
– President Mahinda Rajapaksa – President Victor Yushchenko – President Fernando Lugo Méndez – President Aníbal Cavaco Silva – President John Agyekum Kufuor – President Michelle Bachelet Jeria – President Danilo Türk – President Leonel Fernández Reyna – President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa – President Abdoulaye Wade – President Hamid Karzai – President Blaise Compaoré – President Shimon Peres – Premier Wen Jiabao – Vice-President José Ramón Machado Ventura
Afternoon Session
– President José Manuel Zelaya Rosales – President Armando Emílio Guebuza – President Toomas Hendrik Ilves – President Bingu Wa Mutharika – President Dimitris Christofias – President Álvaro Uribe Vélez – President Valdis Zatlers – President Marcus Stephen – President Elías Antonio Saca González – President Ronald Venetiaan – President Álvaro Colom Caballeros – President Lech Kaczyński – President François Bozizé – President Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires – President Bamir Topi – President Óscar Arias Sánchez – Prime Minister Sanjaa Bayar
25 September 2008 Morning Session
– President Emomali Rahmon – President Branko Crvenkovski – President James Alix Michel – President Serzh Sargsyan – President Litokwa Tomeing – President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi – President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – President Anote Tong – President Fradique Bandeira Melo de Menezes – President Ernest Bai Koroma – President Jalal Talabani – Vice-President Elias Camsek Chin – Prime Minister Winston Baldwin Spencer
Afternoon Session
– President Emanuel Mori – President João Bernardo Vieira – King Mswati III – President José Ramos-Horta – President Robert Mugabe – President Paul Biya – President Asif Ali Zardari – Vice-President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha – President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero – Prime Minister Taro Aso – Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al Jaber Al-Sabah Republic of Korea - Prime Minister Han Seung-soo – Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd – Chief of Government Albert Pintat – Head of Government Fiorenzo Stolfi – Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg – Prime Minister Denzil Douglas – Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende
26 September 2008 Morning Session
– President Filip Vujanović – President René Garcia Préval – President Kalkot Mataskelekele – Vice-President Gabriel Ntisezerana – Chief Advisor of the Caretaker Government Fakhruddin Ahmed – Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal – Prime Minister Gordon Brown – Prime Minister Bruce Golding – Prime Minister Jigmi Yoezer Thinley – Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev – Prime Minister Tuilaepa Aiono Sailele Malielegaoi – Prime Minister Hubert Alexander Ingraham – Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves – President Mahmoud Abbas – Minister for European and International Affairs Ursula Plassnik – Minister for Foreign Affairs Samuel Santos López
Afternoon Session
– Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi – Prime Minister Derek Sikua – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – Prime Minister Ivo Sanader – Prime Minister Apisai Ielemia – Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi – Prime Minister David Thompson – Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde – Prime Minister Josaia V. Bainimarama – Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit – Prime Minister Feleti Vakaʻuta Sevele – Prime Minister Stephenson King – Prime Minister Ahmed Tidiane Souaré – Deputy Prime Minister Jean Asselborn – Prime Minister Tillman Thomas – Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier – Minister for Foreign Affairs Franco Frattini – Minister for Foreign Affairs Ján Kubis – Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Ahmed Jama Jengeli – Minister of External Relations Joao Bernardo de Miranda
27 September 2008 Morning Session
– Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem – Deputy Prime Minister Puka Temu – Minister for Foreign Affairs José Antonio García Belaúnde – Minister for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Aboul Gheit – Minister for Foreign Affairs Moctar Ouane – Minister for Foreign Affairs Elmar Mammadyarov – Minister for Foreign Affairs Karel De Gucht – Minister for Foreign Affairs Walid Al-Moualem – Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi – Minister for Foreign Affairs Marat Tazhin – Minister for Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci – Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa – Minister for Foreign Affairs Omar Touray – Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan – Minister for Foreign Affairs Lazăr Comănescu – Minister for Foreign Affairs Aïchatou Mindaoudou
Afternoon Session
– Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov – Minister for Foreign Affairs Abdelwahab Abdallah – Minister for Foreign Affairs Kinga Göncz – Minister for Foreign Affairs Kabinga Pande – Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohlabi Tsekoa – Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirajuda – Government Councilor for External Relations Franck Biancheri – Minister for Foreign Affairs Vladimir Norov – Minister for Foreign Affairs Dora Bakoyannis – Minister for Foreign Affairs Kofi Esaw – Minister for Foreign Affairs Paula Gopee-Scoon – Minister for Foreign Affairs Gonzalo Fernández – Minister for Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg – Minister for Foreign Affairs Rais Yatim – Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Pak Kil-yon
Rights of Reply Islamic Republic of Iran The Islamic Republic of Iran used its Right of Reply to respond to statements made by the United Arab Emirates in their general debate speech before the Assembly. The United Arab Emirates, in its speech, stated that Iran's occupation of Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs was a central concern of the Emirates. It continued by stating that the Emirates consider all actions taken on the islands by Iran as null and void, while also calling for their full restoration to the Emirates, including their territorial waters, airspace, continental shelf and exclusive economic zones. Finally, the Emirates called on the international community to pressure Iran to respond to appeals by itself, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the League of Arab States to agree to solve the issue through serious negotiation, or by referral to the International Court of Justice.
Iran responded by rejecting the United Arab Emirate's claims as unacceptable, futile and unfounded. It continued by stating that the three islands were, and will always be, eternal parts of Iran, and consequently fell under Iranian sovereignty. It further stated that all actions on the islands had been taken in exercise of the sovereign rights of Iran, and were in accordance with arrangements emanating from the Memorandum of Understanding agreed to in 1971 between the Emirate of Sharjah and Iran.
Japan Japan used its Right of Reply to respond to statements made by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in their general debate speech before the Assembly. The DPRK, in its speech, brought up its relationship with Japan and stated that one of the reasons that these relations were unresolved lie in Japan's failure to acknowledge its past, which is stained, according to the DPRK, with large-scale crimes. It continued by claiming that Japan was whitewashing its history of aggression and massacre of millions of Koreans, while also attempting to steal the Tok Islet from its rightful owner. It finished by stating that Japan should never be allowed to become a permanent member of the Security Council.
Japan responded to these allegations by claiming that it had been attempting to face up to its past sincerely, while officially expressing remorse and apologizing for its actions in the Second World War. It continued by stating that since the end of the War, Japan had consistently dedicated itself to promoting international peace and respect for democracy and human rights. In regards to the Security Council, it stated that Japan had already served as a non-permanent member nine times and had made positive contributions to international stability by discharging their role as a member of the council. Finally, in regards to normalizing relations, it stated that under the Pyongyang Declaration, Japan would work to normalize its relations with the DPRK through settlement of its past, as well as by comprehensive resolution of outstanding conflicts.
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates used its Right of Reply to respond to the Right of Reply of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Specifically, it claimed that Iran's sovereignty over Abu Musa and the greater and lesser Tunbs is unjust and illegal. Furthermore, it stated that the Emirates would never, and will never, relinquish its legal, historical and political rights to the islands, which it claims as an integral part of its sovereign territory and exclusive economic zone. Finally, it appealed to the international community to urge Iran to agree to enter into unconditional bilateral negotiations, or to take the matter to the International Court of Justice.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea