Member States today (7 Jun) elected Ambassador Csaba Kőrösi of Hungary as the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly.

He was elected by acclamation by the General Assembly, which comprises all 193 UN Member States.

During his acceptance remarks, Kőrösi warned that, “together with a war in Ukraine and other armed conflicts elsewhere, they create a perfect storm and unprecedented instability for the years to come. “

Therefore, he said, “we should seek integrated solutions to the systemic challenges.”

Kőrösi said, “there is no way back to the old normal. The only way out of the current predicament is through continued reforms and transformation of this organization and strengthening our cooperation. We must do much better on delivering on our jointly agreed goals, commitments and pledges.”

He outlined priorities to address the complex global challenges while upholding the UN’s key pillars of peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development.

Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the President-elect and highlighted the critical role of the General Assembly in a world in peril.

He said Kőrösi brings a broad perspective to the post, namely a familiarity with the United Nations, expertise in environmental sustainability, and steadfast commitment to multilateral action. 

The UN chief said, “I welcome the focus of his Presidency on ‘Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science’, and I count on him to help us advance across the spectrum of our work.”

Outside the GA, the President Elect told reporters that “the consequences of the pandemic are still with us. The global economy is at the threshold of recession. And the sovereign debts are at an unprecedented level. On the top of that, global conflicts have never been this fierce since the end of the last century.”

He said, “this is the mixture, it is a prototype of the Anthropocene era crisis, if you wish, it's a postcard from the future. There is no way back to the old normal. The only way out is through transformation and most of the parameters of this transformation have been agreed upon already. What remains to be seen is delivering on the jointly agreed goals, principles, commitments and agreements.”

The veteran diplomat, wo is currently Director of Environmental Sustainability at the Office of the President of Hungary, will lead the UN’s chief deliberative and policymaking body, starting in September.