General debate of the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly

The general debate of the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly was the first debate of the 66th session of the United Nations General Assembly that ran from 21 – 27 September 2011. Leaders from the United Nations' member states addressed the General Assembly concerning topics of national, regional and international importance.

Organisation The speaking order of the general debate is different from the speaking order of other General Assembly debates. For the general debate, the Secretary-General speaks first delivering their "Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization, " they are then followed by: the President of the General Assembly who opens the general debate, the delegate from Brazil and the delegate from the United States of America. After this, the order is first given to Member States, then Observer States and supranational bodies. For all other Member States, speaking order is based on their level of representation at the general debate, order preference and other criteria such as geographic balance.

According to the rules in place for the general debate, statements should be made in one of the United Nations' official languages of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish, and are translated by United Nations translators. Additionally, speakers are usually limited to a 15-minute time limit in order to comply with the schedule set up by the General Committee. Member States are also advised to provide 350 paper copies of their statements in order for them to be distributed to other Member States, as well as to translation services.

The theme for the 66th Session was chosen by President Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser as: "The role of mediation in the settlement of disputes by peaceful means." The theme of a Session is typically suggested by the President-elect of the General Assembly prior to their inauguration and the beginning of the Session, and is decided upon via informal discussions with Member States, the current President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General. This theme is then communicated to Member States in a letter, whereupon the Member States are invited to focus their general debate speeches on the proposed theme.

Speaking schedule 21 September 2011

Morning schedule

– Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization) – President of the 66th Session Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser (Opening) – President Dilma Rousseff – President Barack Obama – Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani – President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa – President Nursultan Nazarbayev – President Nicolas Sarkozy – President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner – President Michel Sleiman Republic of Korea – President Lee Myung-bak – President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo – King King Abdullah II – President Tarja Halonen – President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón – President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan – President Toomas Hendrik Ilves – President Micheline Calmy-Rey

Afternoon session

– President Porfirio Lobo Sosa – President Viktor Yanukovych – President Fernando Lugo Méndez – President Paul Kagame – Chair of the Presidency Željko Komšić – President Bharrat Jagdeo – President Elbegdorj Tsakhia – President Jacob Zuma – President Andris Bērziņš – President Álvaro Colom Caballeros – President Abdoulaye Wade – President Armando Emilio Guebuza – President Evo Morales Ayma – President Danilo Türk

22 September 2011 Morning schedule

– President Demetris Christofias – President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete – King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa – President Alassane Ouattara – President Sebastián Piñera Echeñique – President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad – President Roza Otunbaeva – Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah – Prime Minister David Cameron – President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Afternoon session

– President Bronislaw Komorowski – President Mwai Kibaki – President Mikheil Saakashvili – President Leonel Fernández Reyna – President Ollanta Humala Tasso – President Dalia Grybauskaitė – President Robert Mugabe – President Desiré Delano Bouterse – President Ali Bongo Ondimba – President Joseph Kabila Kabange – President Johnson Toribiong – President Idriss Déby Itno – President Ivo Josipović – President Laura Chinchilla Miranda – Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd – Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul

23 September 2011 Morning schedule

– President John Evans Atta Mills – President Jalal Talabani – President Václav Klaus – President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov – President Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena – President Mahinda Rajapaksa – President Ismaël Omar Guelleh – President Hifikepunye Pohamba – President Salva Kiir – President Serzh Sargsyan – Acting President Mahmoud Abbas – Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda – Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigmi Yoser Thinley – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt

Afternoon schedule

– President Pál Schmitt – President Ernest Bai Koroma – President Boris Tadić – President Alpha Condé – President Isaias Afwerki – President Marcus Stephen – President Mahamadou Issoufou – President Michel Joseph Martelly – President Pierre Nkurunziza – President Emanuel Mori – President Ikililou Dhoinine – President Anote Tong – President Andry Nirina Rajoelina – Prime Minister Josaia V. Bainimarama – Prime Minister Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé – Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini – Prime Minister Tillman Thomas – Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão – Foreign Minister Stavros Lambrinidis – Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov

24 September 2011 Morning schedule

– Prime Minister Pakalitha Bethuel Mosisili – Prime Minister Igor Lukšić – Prime Minister Iveta Radičová – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh – Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Júnior – Prime Minister Willy Telavi – Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves – Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai – Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam – Prime Minister Sali Berisha – Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski – Prime Minister Winston Baldwin Spencer – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – Prime Minister Freundel Stuart – Chairman Mahmoud Jibril – Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi – Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr (On behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement) – Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho

Afternoon schedule

– Prime Minister José Maria Pereira Neves – Prime Minister Peter O'Neill – Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi – Prime Minister Meltek Sato Kilman Livtunvanu – Prime Minister Danny Philip – Prime Minister Sialeʻataongo Tuʻivakanō – Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali – Prime Minister Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo – Vice Chancellor Michael Spindelegger – Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn – Deputy Prime Minister Steven Vanackere – Deputy Prime Minister Sam Terrence Condor – Foreign Minister Franco Frattini – Foreign Minister Trinidad Jiménez – Foreign Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi

Right of reply Member states have the option to reply to comments on the day (or even to the days prior), but are limited to 10 minutes for the first response and five minutes for the second response.

Serbia (First)

Serbia used its Right of Reply to respond to statements made by Albania in its general debate speech before the Assembly. Albania, in its speech, brought up the topic of Kosovo, and its independence movement. Specifically, Albania called upon Serbia to recognize, and comply, with the International Court of Justice and its 2010 decision which stated that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law. Albania also called upon all Member States to recognize the independence of Kosovo. Finally, Albania mentioned that the Government of Kosovo was committed to implementing the rule of law, but was being met with resistance from criminal groups and organized gangs in Serbian towns in the north of the country.

Serbia responded by stating that Albania's statement was full of "misrepresentations and falsehoods." First, Serbia pointed out that Kosovo had taken various coercive actions in order to create fait accompli on issues on which negotiations were still pending, creating tension and conflict that endangered the negotiation process. Additionally, Serbia stated that Albania had misrepresented the ICJ's ruling. Albania stated that the declaration was found by the Court to be "in full compliance with international law," when in reality the Court found that "general international law contains no applicable prohibition of declarations of independence." Serbia posited that the Court left the real question unanswered. Finally, Serbia claimed that Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo was not as secure as Albania stated, as in 2004 over 30 Christian Orthodox churches were destroyed, with the remaining churches being routinely desecrated.

Albania (First)

Albania used its Right of Reply to respond to Serbia's Right of Reply. It began by stating that an ever-growing number of Member States were convinced that an independent Kosovo was the only solution for the war-torn region. Albania then reiterated that the ICJ ruling stated that the declaration of independence did not violate any provision of international law and that Serbia was expected to accept and respect the Court's findings as laid out in Chapter XIV of the United Nations Charter. It then mentioned a speech made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in which she called upon Serbia to implement agreements with Kosovo, allow the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) to operate in the entire territory of Kosovo, and abolish the parallel structures in the North. Albania finished by calling on Serbia to accept the findings of the EULEX investigation.

Serbia (Second)

Serbia stated that its delegation was finished with the Kosovo issue and did not want to continue the debate and left the Member States to draw their own conclusions.

Albania (Second)

Albania agreed as it did not want to prolong the discussion.

26 September 2011 Morning schedule

– Vice President Mompati S. Merafhe – Vice President Mohamed Waheed Hassan – Vice President Joseph Boakai – Vice President Danilo Astori – Vice President Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy – Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi – Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah – Foreign Minister Hor Namhong – Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore – Deputy Prime Minister Kenneth Baugh – Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette – Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn – Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith – Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi – Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri – Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle – Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah – Foreign Minister Walid Muallem

Afternoon schedule

– Foreign Minister Elyor Ganiyev – Foreign Minister Össur Skarphéðinsson – Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci – Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan – Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi – Foreign Minister José Badia – Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla – Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal – Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti – Foreign Minister Manuel Salvador dos Ramos – Foreign Minister Mouldi Kefi – Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa – Foreign Minister John Baird – Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick – Foreign Minister Samuel Santos López – Foreign Minister Basile Ikouebe – Foreign Minister Georges Rebelo Chikoti – Foreign Minister John M. Silk – Foreign Minister Antoine Gambi – Foreign Minister Surujrattan Rambachan – Foreign Minister Gilbert Saboya Sunyé

Right of reply Member states have the option to reply to comments on the day (or even to the days prior), but are limited to 10 minutes for the first response and five minutes for the second response.

Iran (Islamic Republic of)