UN General Assembly kicks off 71st session

Peter Thomson, president of the 71st session of United Nations General Assembly, takes the oath during the opening of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept 13, 2016. The UN General Assembly on Tuesday kicked off its 71st session at UN Headquarters in New York, with a focus on the joint world efforts to carry out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a blueprint for the global development efforts for the years up to 2030. [Photo/Xinhua]

The former General Assembly president, 61, was found dead in June in his home in Dobbs Ferry in the US state of New York, following an accident while lifting a barbell during an exercise session, US authorities said.

"As president of the Assembly, I will dedicate myself to facilitation of the transition process," Thomson said.

"Throughout the 71st, I will work to strengthen the relations between the UN's organs, continuing the practice of holding regular meetings with the secretary-general, the president of the Security Council, and the president of ECOSOC (the Economic and Social Council), and I will inform the membership as to the scope of these meetings," he said.

"And in addition to upholding the principles of transparency and inclusiveness, during the 71st session, I will seek to give greater prominence to ethics in the work of the United Nations," he said.

To show his firm determination to help the world implement the SDGs, the General Assembly president invited his two grand daughters -- seven and five years old -- to the podium of the General Assembly hall, and said, "They will become two young adults in 2030," the deadline of the SDGs, a set of 17 sustainable development targets.