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H.E. Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held a dialogue with UTokyo researchers and students
On February 14, 2024, His Excellency Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, visited UTokyo and gave a keynote speech at an event hosted by the Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI), followed by a dialogue with UTokyo researchers and students.
In his speech, he spoke about the role of the United Nations, particularly the General Assembly, and emphasized that the four key pillars of peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability are supreme objectives currently preoccupying the international community today, and that without peace on which everything else is built as the bedrock, all else falters – including sustainable development and human rights – and may even reverse. During the dialogue, a wide range of questions were asked about the role of the UN General Assembly, youth participation in the decision-making process, the work and beliefs of the President, and he responded candidly about his experiences and thoughts as President, including the importance of all 193 UN Member States being the owners of resolutions, his constant concern to “Leave No One Behind,” including young people and women, and his attitude towards each General Assembly.
