STATEMENT BY
MR. MOHD HAFIZ OTHMAN
MINISTER COUNSELLOR, PERMANENT MISSION OF MALAYSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
AT THE THEMATIC DEBATE OF THE AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON THE REVITALIZATION OF THE WORK OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (AHWG) ON THE SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND OTHER EXECUTIVE HEADS
NEW YORK, 23 APRIL 2021
Thank you, Co-Chairs, for your continued leadership of this Working Group.
2. The selection and appointment process of the Secretary-General is of particular importance for our work during this session in view of the upcoming selection of the Secretary-General. The UN is 75 years old. Nine individuals have served as the Secretary-General - a position that requires the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity and a firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
3. In 2015, the General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution that set out a new transparent, open, and inclusive process to select and appoint the Secretary-General. Malaysia welcomes the establishment of informal dialogues with candidates of the Secretary-General as laid out in this resolution. We also commend the participation of civil society and the wider global public in these informal dialogues. In this connection, we welcome Secretary-General Guterres’s commitment to engage in this process as well as his vision statement.
4. At the same time, Malaysia stresses the need to ensure equal and fair distribution based on gender and geographical balance while meeting the highest possible requirements for the position of Secretary-General and other executive heads. My delegation also continues to call for a transparent and open selection process for these appointments.
5. To conclude, please count on my delegation’s support of the revitalization process. Thank you.