Philemon Yang of Cameroon, President-elect of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly June 6, 2024. (Credit: United Nations Photo)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
UNITED NATIONS – NEW YORK – Philemon Yang, former Prime Minister of Cameroon, was appointed President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly during an official ceremony in New York Thursday June 6, 2024. President-elect Yang, who also served as the Chairperson of the Panel of Eminent Africans of the African Union, will take the helm of the UN’s main policy-making body, starting in September. The Cameroonian diplomat was elected by acclamation during a ceremony in the General Assembly Hall at UN Headquarters in New York. Ambassador Yang will take over from the current General Assembly President Dennis Francis of Trinidad at start of the 79th session of the UNGA in September. At an informal dialogue with Assembly members in May, then candidate Yang, highlighted his theme for the 79th session as “unity in diversity, for the advancement of peace, sustainable development, and human dignity for everyone everywhere”. Speaking to journalists following the elections, he reiterated that diversity “is a part of life”.
“I say unity in diversity because diversity is a part of life and all the nations are diverse and I am convinced that through dialogue, through consensus, talking together and looking to the future together, we can solve problems.”
-President of UN General Assembly Philemon Yang
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres said Yang will face challenges confronting the global community but noted that Yang has “a wealth of experience representing his country” as a diplomat and public servant. “Conflicts continue to rage. Climate catastrophe is deepening. Poverty and inequality are rife. Mistrust and division are pulling people apart. The Sustainable Development Goals are dramatically off-track. And developing countries are left without the support they need to invest in their people.” Guterres urged everyone not to lose sight of the collective objective of a more peaceful and sustainable world.
“With His Excellency Philemon Yang at the helm, I am confident that the General Assembly will rise to the occasion to meet this challenge with courage and compassion,” UN Secretary General Guterres added.
Yang ,66-years-old, served as Prime minister from 30 June 2009 to 4 January 2019. Previously he was Assistant Secretary General of the Presidency, with the rank of minister, from 2004 to 2009. He served in the government from 1975 to 1984 and was Cameroon’s Ambassador to Canada from 1984 to 2004. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Cameroonian history.
