Past Presidents
61st Session: Haya Rashed Al Khalifa
Portrait of Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 61st session. UN Photo/Paulo Filguerias
Haya Rashed Al Khalifa was elected President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 61st session on 8 June 2006. At the time, she was serving as Legal Adviser to the Royal Court in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Haya Rashed Al Khalifa presided the General Assembly’s 61st session from 12 September 2006 to 17 September 2007.
On 8 June 2006, the General Assembly elected 21 Vice-Presidents for the 61st session:
- from the African States: Cameroon, Guinea, Libya, Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe;
- from the Asian-Pacific States: Bhutan, Indonesia, Kuwait, Philippines;
- from the Latin American and Caribbean States: Chile, Colombia, Haiti;
- from the Western European and Other States: Croatia, Liechtenstein, Netherlands;
- the five permanent members of the Security Council: China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States.
Priorities
2005 World Summit Follow-up
"As we prepare ourselves to complete the remaining tasks of the previous session," president Haya Rashed Al Khalifa said at the opening of the 61st session of the General Assembly, "we shall not overlook those recommendations of the 2005 World Summit outcome document which have yet to be fully implemented, such as; disarmament and non proliferation, Security Council reform, Mandate Review, and System-wide Coherence. All these are crucially important agendas. And working together, in the spirit of multilateralism, to achieve these goals, we can deliver a program of work to renew, strengthen and update the United Nations."
2005 Follow-up Consultation Processes
- Counter-Terrorism Strategy
- Environmental Governance
- Mandate Review
- Security Council Reform
- System-Wide Coherence
Other Consultation Processes
Statements and Messages
September 2007
- Conclusion of the 61st Session of the General Assembly (17 September 2007)
- Adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (13 September 2007)
- Acceptance of the Public-Private Foundation MDG Award (12 September 2007)
- Opening of the Exhibition "Bahrain: Making Policy a Reality Meeting the Millennium Development Goals" (10 September 2007)
- On "Preventing and Overcoming Conflicts: Climate Change and the Role of a Culture of Peace" (7 September 2007)
- 60th Annual DPI/NGO Conference on Climate Change: How it impacts u all (5 September 2007)
August 2007
- On "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Role of the Security Council in Conflict Prevention" (28 August 2007)
- Closing of the Fourth Informal Thematic Debate of the General Assembly: "Climate Change as a Global Challenge" (3 August 2007)
- After the Adoption of the General Assembly Resolution on Revitalization (2 August 2007)
- Fourth Thematic Debate of the 61st Session of the General Assembly: "Climate Change as a Global Challenge" (31 July 2007)
- On the 25th Anniversary of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (23 July 2007)
- 9th Informal Meeting of the Open Ended Working Group on the Questio of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security Council (19 July 2007)
- UN Ministerial Conference of the Least Developed Countries: "Making Globalization Work for LDCs" (9 July 2007)
- Opening of the Global Compact Leaders Summit (5 July 2007)
- Opening Session of the High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council (2 July 2007)
- Final Meeting of the First Year of the Peacebuilding Commission (27 June 2007)
- On the Occasion of the 800th Anniversary of the Birth of Jalal-Ud-Din Balkhi Rumi (26 June 2007)
- Security Council Open Debate on Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Natural Resources and Conflict (25 June 2007)
- 10th International Meeting of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (20 June 2007)
- Closing of the Follow-up Meeting "Financing Development to Achieve the MDGs" (18 June 2007)
- Follow-up Meeting "Financing Development to Achieve the MDGs" (17 June 2007)
- Acceptance of the Path to Peace Foundation Award (12 June 2007)
- Conference on the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (12 June 2007)
- At the Senate of Spain: "Towards a Culture of Gender Equality in the 21st Century" (4 June 2007)
- Roundtable Discussion on Women Leaders Networking for Peace and Security in the Middle East (31 May 2007)
- Press Conference at the United Nations Office at Vienna (30 May 2007)
- 15th Session of the High-Level Committee on South-South Cooperation (29 May 2007)
- On the Occasion of Africa Day (25 May 2007)
- Election of the President for the 62nd Session of the General Assembly (24 May 2007)
- Follow-up to the Outcome of the 26th Special Session: Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (21 May 2007)
- Pantel Discussion: Women and Human Rights in the Middle East at Rutgers University (16 May 2007)
- Award Ceremony at Rutgers University (16 May 2007)
- Conference: A Step Forward, the Millennium Development Goals organized by Women Together (14 May 2007)
- 6th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues (14 May 2007)
- Ellis Island Medals of Honor Ceremony (12 May 2007)
- Roundtable Discussion on Arts and Culture (11 May 2007)
- Piano Recital by Abdel Rahman El Bacha on the Occasion of the Third Informal Thematic Debate of the General Assembly on "Civilizations and the Challenge for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities" (10 May 2007)
- Third Informal Thematic Debate of the General Assembly on "Civilizations and the Challenge for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities" (10 May 2007)
- Closing of the 8th Informal Meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council (4 May 2007)
- G-77 & China Brainstorming Session on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (3 May 2007)
- World Youth Assembly for Road Safety (24 April 2007)
- Institute of International Education new Leaders Benefit (23 April 2007)
- Conclusion of the Debate on the Recommendations of the High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence of United Nations Operational Activities (17 April 2007)
- Debate of the Reccomendations of the High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence of United Nations Operational Activities (16 April 2007)
- Special High-level Meeting of the Economic and Social Council with the Bretton Woods Institution (16 April 2007)
- Informal Briefing on the Rule of Law Coordination and Resource Group (12 April 2007)
- General Assembly Meeting to Adopt the Draft Resolution on the Administration of Justice (4 April 2007)
- NGO Event "The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade: Intergenerational Consequences, Resistance, Transformation and Unfinished Business" (29 March 2007)
- 19th Summit of the League of Arab States (27 March 2007)
- Commemoration to Celebrate 200 Years of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (26 March 2007)
- 37th Annual United Nations Peace Bell Ceremony to mark Earth Day (20 March 2007)
- General Assembly Meeting on Draft Resolutions L.54 and L.55 (15 March 2007)
- "Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls" (8 March 2007)
- Conclusion of the Informal Thematic Debate of the General Assembly on "The Promotion of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women" (8 March 2007)
- Informal Thematic Debate of the General Assembly on "The Promotion of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women" (6 March 2007)
- International Conference on Trafficking in Women and Girls (5 March 2007)
- Committee on Foreign Affairs: "The United Nations: our Shared Responsibility to Address Humanity's Global Challenges" (28 February 2007)
- Hearing with the Italian Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs and Migration: "The United Nations: our Shared Responsibility to Address Humanity's Global Challenges" (27 February 2007)
- At the Chamber of Deputies: "Towards a Culture of Gender Equality in the 21st Century" (27 February 2007)
- Security Council Debate on the "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Role of the Security Council in Supporting Security Sector Reform" (20 February 2007)
- Briefing on UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the Launch of the Online Counter-Terrorism Handbook (16 February 2007)
- 45th Session of the Commission for Social Development: "The NGO Committee for social Development" (14 February 2007)
- Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security Council (8 February 2007)
- The Plenary of Women's Empowerment Action Team: "Millennium Development Goals: Education and Gender Equality in the Arab World" (7 February 2007)
- Meeting of the General Assembly to Resume Consideration of Agenda Items 47, 113 and 149 in order to Discuss the Progress Achieved in the Work of the Peacebuilding Commission (6 February 2007)
- Occasion of the Paris Conference for Global Ecological Governance (2 February 2007)
- Second Obervance of the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust (29 January 2007)
- Adoption of a Resolution on Holocaust Denial (26 January 2007)
- 7th Annual Summit on Staff Security (16 January 2007)
- G77 and China Chairmanship Handover Ceremony (10 January 2007)
- Closing of the Main Part of the 61st Session of the General Assembly (22 December 2006)
- Adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (20 December 2006)
- Event Marking the Third United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation (19 December 2006)
- At West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in the General Assembly (18 December 2006)
- Informal Briefin on Alliance of Civilizations (18 December 2006)
- International Human Solidarity Day (15 December 2006)
- 10th Emergency Special Session (Resumed) (15 December 2006)
- Oath of Office Ceremony for Secretary-General Designate Mr. Ban Ki-Moon (14 December 2006)
- On the Draft Resolution "Tribute to Kofi Annan" (14 December 2006)
- Revitalization of the Work of the General assembly (13 December 2006)
- Adoption of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities (13 December 2006)
- Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security Council and the Report of the Security Council (11 December 2006)
- On the Occasion of Human Rights Day (10 December 2006)
- Special Commemorative Meeting of the General Assembly Devoted to the 60th Anniversary of the Operation of UNICEF (8 December 2006)
- High-level Conference on the Central Emergency Response Fund (7 December 2006)
- Specific Meeting Focused on Development (5 December 2006)
- On the Occasion of World AIDS Day (1 December 2006)
- International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29 November 2006)
- Meeting on our Common Humanity in the Information Age: Principles and Values for Development (29 November 2006)
- Closing of the Informal Thematic Debate of the General Assembly on Partnerships Towards Achieving the MDGs: Taking Stock, Moving Forward (27 November 2006)
- Informal Thematic Debate of the General Assembly on Partnerships Towards Achieving the MDGs: Taking Stock, Moving Forward (27 November 2006)
- Forum on General Assembly and Non-Governmental Organizations (21 November 2006)
- On the Strengthening of the Economic and Social Council (20 November 2006)
- Message on Africa Industrialization Day (20 November 2006)
- Tribute to 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus (17 November 2006)
- Befor the "Global Children Gala" (17 November 2006)
- 28th Plenary Meeting - 10th Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly (17 November 2006)
- Before the International Forum on the Eradication of Poverty (16 November 2006)
- Before the Global Creative Leadership Summit (15 November 2006)
- Before the New York Academy of Sciences: "Science in the City" (14 November 2006)
- Joint UN-IPU Annual Parliamentary Hearing (13 November 2006)
- On Strengthening of the Coordination of Humanitarian and disaster Relief Assistance of the United Nations, Including Special Economic Assistance (Agenda Item 69) (13 November 2006)
- Roundtable to Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Commission on the Status of Women (10 November 2006)
- Launch of the International Human Solidarity Day (10 November 2006)
- Rotary International Day at the United Nations (4 November 2006)
- On the Culture of Peace (3 November 2006)
- On the Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (30 October 2006)
- 6th International Conference on New or Restored Democracies (29 October 2006)
- United Nations Day Concert (25 October 2006)
- High-level Expert Forum on Capacity Building for Peace and Development Roles of Diaspora (19 October 2006)
- On the Occasion of World Food Day Observance (18 October 2006)
- On the Commemoration of the 14th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (17 October 2006)
- Appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations (13 October 2006)
- On the 2001-2010: Decade to roll back Malaria in Developing Countries, particularly in Africa; New Partnership for Africa's Development; Progress in Implementation and International Support; Causes of Conflict and the Promotion of Durable Peace and Sustainable Development in Africa (12 October 2006)
- Presentation of the UN Study on Violence against Children (11 October 2006)
- Launch of the Peacebuilding Fund (11 October 2006)
- Closing of the General Debate of the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (27 September 2006)
- Women Leaders Intercultural Forum (24 September 2006)
- Working Session on Women's Empowerment (23 September 2006)
- First Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace (21 September 2006)
- high-level Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace (21 September 2006)
- Commemorating the International Day of Peace (21 September 2006)
- Message on the International Day of Peace (21 September 2006)
- Luanch of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (19 September 2006)
- Opening of the General Debate of the 61st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (19 September 2006)
- Opening of the High-level Meeting on the Mid-term Comprehensive Global Review of the Implementation of the Program of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010 (18 September 2006)
- Sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine (17 September 2006)
- Closing of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (15 September 2006)
- Opening of the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (14 September 2006)
- Opening of the 61st Session (12 September 2006)
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
June 2006
Letters
September 2007
- Letter regarding the work of the 61st Session of the General Assembly (17 September 2007)
- Letter regarding follow-up of the Report of the Secretary-General entitled "Recommendations contained in the Report of the High Level Panel on United Nations System Wide Coherence in the Areas of Development, Humanitarian Assistance and the Environment: Report of the Secretary-General" (14 September 2007)
- Letter regarding Mandate Review (14 September 2007)
- Letter regarding the High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace (12 September 2007)
- Letter regarding the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters related to the Security Council (10 September 2007)
- Letter regarding the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development (7 September 2007)
August 2007
- Letter regarding the informal thematic debate "Climate Change as a Global Challenge" (27 August 2007)
- Letter regarding the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development (21 August 2007)
- Invitation letter to Speakers of the Parliament of the Members of the Inter-pariamentary Union (13 August 2007)
- Letter regarding the work of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and Other Matters Related to the Security Council (3 August 2007)
- Letter on the Consultations regarding Revitalizing the Role and Authority of the General Assembly (2 August 2007)
- Letter on the Secretariat's proposal for a strengthened gender equality architecture (2 August 2007)
July 2007
- Letter regarding the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (31 July 2007)
- Letter regarding the High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development (27 July 2007)
- Letter regarding consultations on Revitalization of the General Assembly (25 July 2007)
- Letter regarding consultation on the draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (23 July 2007)
- Letter regarding the High-level Dialogue on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace (13 July 2007)
- Letter regarding the informal thematic debate "Climate Change as a Global Challenge" (9 July 2007)
June 2007
- Letter regarding System-wide Coherence on gender equality and the empowerment of women (29 June 2007)
- Letter regarding the Report on the consultations on Security Council Reform (26 June 2007)
- Letter regarding the Options Paper of the Co-Chairs of the informal consultative process on International Environmental Governance (22 June 2007)
- Letter on the work of the General Assembly (20 June 2007)
- Letter regarding the informal consultations on Gender (14 June 2007)
- Letter regarding the Informal Summary of the informal thematic debate on "Civilizations and the Challenge for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities" (12 June 2007)
- Letter regarding the thematic debate on Climate Change (9 June 2007)
- Letter regarding recommendations for the continuity of General Assembly operations in the event of an influenza pandemic (8 June 2007)
- Letter regarding the follow-up meeting "Financing Development to achieve the Millennium Development Goals" (7 June 2007)
- Letter regarding consultations on the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (6 June 2007)
- Letter regarding the meeting "Financing Development to achieve the Millennium Development Goals" (4 June 2007)
May 2007
- Letter regarding consultations on System-wide Coherence (25 May 2007)
- Letter regarding a thematic debate on "Climate Change as a global challenge" (24 May 2007)
- Letter regarding consultations on Security Council Reform (22 May 2007)
- Letter regarding a plenary meeting of the General Assembly to consider agenda item 46 (15 May 2007)
- Letter regarding The Peacebuilding Fund (11 May 2007)
- Letter regarding a follow-up meeting to the first informal thematic debate entitled "Financing Development to achieve the MDGs" (7 May 2007)
- Letter regarding the informal thematic debate "Civilizations and the Challenge for Peace: Obstacles and Opportunities" (7 May 2007)
April 2007
- Letter regarding appointment of facilitators on issues related to the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development (25 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the facilitators report on Security Council Reform (25 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the programme for the informal thematic debate on Civilizations and the Challenge for Peace: obstacles and opportunities (24 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the Report of the Facilitators on the consultations regarding the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and other Matters related to the Security Council (20 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the tentative programme of work of the General Assembly for May 2007 (11 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the World Federation of United Nations Associations (11 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the appointment of Ambassador Kaire Munionganda Mbuende of Namibia as Co-Chair for the consultation process on Mandate Review (10 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the report of the Secretary-General on 'Recommendations contained in the report of the High-level Panel on United Nations System-Wide Coherence in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment' (A/61/836) (9 April 2007)
- Letter regarding the 4 April Plenary Meeting (3 April 2007)
March 2007
- Letter regarding the third informal thematic debate (20 March 2007)
- Letter regarding the informal summary of the proceedings of the informal thematic debate on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women (20 March 2007)
- Letter regarding continued consultations on Mandate Review (15 March 2007)
- Letter regarding two draft resolutions (14 March 2007)
- Letter regarding the appointment of Ambassador Bodini and Ambassador Badji as co-Chairs on General Assembly revitalization (9 March 2007)
- Letter regarding the informal thematic debate on the Promotion of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (1 March 2007)
February 2007
- Letter regarding the Secretary-General's proposals to realign the Department of Disarmament Affairs and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (26 February 2007)
- Letter regarding the informal consultations of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council and other Matters related to the Security Council (16 February 2007)
- Letter on strengthening the capacity of the Organization to manage and sustain peace and security and to advance the disarmament agenda (15 February 2007)
- Letter regarding upcoming informal consultations on Security Council reform (13 February 2007)
- Letter regarding the follow-up of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (13 February 2007)
- Letter regarding General Assembly resolution A/58/282 on the 'Follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children' (12 February 2007)
- Letter regarding the work of the Peacebuilding Commission (8 February 2007)
- Letter regarding the programme for the informal thematic debate on the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women (8 February 2007)
- Letter regarding the appointment of Ambassador Blum of Colombia as Co-Chair of the consultation process on Mandate Review (6 February 2007)
January 2007
- Letter regarding the informal thematic debate on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (31 January 2007)
- Letter regarding the meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council (24 January 2007)
- Letter regarding requested plenary meeting by the Chair of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (24 January 2007)
December 2006
- Letter regarding the Forum on General Assembly and Non-Governmental Organization Relations (22 December 2006)
- Letter regarding the End of the Main Part of the 61st Session of the General Assembly (22 December 2006)
- Letter regarding the Second Informal Thematic Debate on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (21 December 2006)
- Letter regarding the Summary of the First Informal Thematic Debate (4 December 2006)
- Letter regarding an update of the work of the General Assembly and outline of coming months (1 December 2006)
November 2006
- Letter regarding the Central Emergency Response Fund (24 November 2006)
- Letter regarding the Programme for the First Informal Thematic Debate (21 November 2006)
- Letter regarding the draft resolution on the Strengthening of the Economic and Social Council (16 November 2006)
- Letter regarding the tentative programme for the First Informal Thematic Debate (8 November 2006)
October 2006
- Letter regarding the First Informal Thematic Debate (30 October 2006)
- Letter regarding the announcement of the first Informal Thematic Debate (20 October 2006)
- Letter regarding the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (16 October 2006)
- Letter regarding the date of appointment of the Secretary-General (11 October 2006)
- Letter regarding the recommendation of the Security Council for the appointment of Mr. Ban Ki-Moon as Secretary-General (9 October 2006)
- Letter regarding the closing of the General Debate and work of the General Assembly (5 October 2006)
Events
- Climate Change as a Global Challenge (31 July - 1 August 2007)
- Doha Follow-up Meeting: "Financing Development to achieve the MDGs" (17-18 June 2007)
- Civilizations and the challenge for Peace (10-11 May 2007)
- Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (6 - 8 March 2007)
- Partnerships Towards Achieving the Millennium Development Goals: Taking stock, moving forward (26 November 2006)
Team
- H.E. Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President
- H.E. Mr. Ahmed Al Haddad, Chef de Cabinet
- Ms. Jehan Al Arayedh, Deputy Chef de Cabinet
- Ms. Hayfa Matar, Counsellor
- H.E. Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Special Adviser (Security Council and Follow-up Reforms)
- Mr. Yasser Elnaggar, Senior Adviser (Management and Secretariat Reform)
- Mr. Tareq Al-Banai, Adviser (Economic and Disarmament Affairs)
- Ms. Unni Ramboll, Counsellor (General Assembly Affairs)
- Mr. Robert Pollock, Speechwriter and Counsellor (ECOSOC, Development and Environmen)
- Mr. Phuchphop Mongkolnavin, First Secretary (Legal Affairs)
- Ms. Shamina de Gonzaga, Special Adviser on NGO Relations
- Mr. Issa Makhlouf, Special Adviser (Social and Cultural Affairs)
- Mr. Ashraf Kamal, Spokesperson
- Ms. Frehiwot Bekele, Special Assistant to the Spokesperson
- Mr. Paris Treantafeles, Web master
- Ms. Najwa Mehdi, Assistant to the President
- Ms. Merlyn D'Souza, Assistant to the Chef de Cabinet
- Mrs. Catherine Keiley, Assistant to H.E. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga
- Mr. Yasser Abdullah, Liason and Finance Officer
