The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has elected, by acclamation, Csaba Kőrösi, Director of Environmental Sustainability at the Office of the President of Hungary, to serve as President of its 77th session. In his acceptance speech, Kőrösi said his presidency’s efforts will be guided by the motto, ‘Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science.’ He will succeed Abdulla Shahid of Maldives, current UNGA President, assuming the presidency on 13 September 2022.

Per the principle of geographical rotation, the president of UNGA 77 was to be elected from the Group of Eastern European States. Kőrösi was the only official candidate for the presidency, and a May 2022 informal dialogue on his candidature preceded his election on 7 June 2022.

Among other positions, the President-elect has served as: UNGA Vice-President; Co-chair of the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals; and Sherpa to the President of Hungary at the High-level Panel on Water, co-convened by the UN Secretary General and the President of the World Bank Group.

Kőrösi’s vision for his office is to “pursue an integrated agenda of peace, prosperity and sustainability” by being “an agent of multilateralism, multiculturalism and multilingualism.” He pledged to focus on five priorities:

  • Standing firm on the basic principles of the UN Charter;
  • Making significant and measurable progress in sustainability transformation;
  • Aiming at integrated, systemic solutions;
  • Enhancing the role of science in decision making; and
  • Increasing solidarity to better endure new chapters of crises facing the world.

Kőrösi said “[t]he only way out of our current predicament,” marked by the “perfect storm” of geopolitical risks and “those stemming from the unsustainable way of our development,” is through “continued reforms and transformation of this Organization and strengthening our cooperation.” “There is no way back to the old normal,” he warned.  

The President-elect indicated that he will coordinate efforts with the Secretary-General, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and other relevant UN bodies, and conduct “impact-oriented and regular consultations” with civil society organizations (CSOs), youth, scientific institutions, knowledge centers, faith-based organizations, business representatives, and key financial institutions.

Congratulating Kőrösi on his election, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said UNGA 77 can be “a time to recalibrate multilateralism and strengthen the foundations of global cooperation.”  

Also extending his congratulations, Shahid welcomed Kőrösi’s “pragmatic” vision for UNGA 77 “as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, tackle climate change and strive to meet the SDGs.”

The UNGA elected Australia, Benin, Burundi, Chile, El Salvador, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Viet Nam, and Zimbabwe as Vice-Presidents of its plenary to join the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, the Russian Federation, the UK, and the US – which serve annually as UNGA Vice-Presidents.

The Assembly also elected the Bureaus of its six Main Committees: Disarmament and International Security; Special Political and Decolonization; Economic and Financial; Social, Humanitarian and Cultural; Administrative and Budgetary; and Legal. [UN Meetings Coverage] [UN News Story] [Election of UNGA 77 President] [Remarks of UN Secretary-General] [Remarks of UNGA 76 President] [Remarks by UNGA 77 President-elect (video)]