79th UN General Assembly : Philemon Yang Is President

Cameroonians in particular and Africa in general waited anxiously for 3 pm local New York time on Thursday, June 6, 2024 when the United Nations Organisation (UNO) General Assembly sat in plenary with the main item on the agenda being the election of Philemon Yang to the post of the President of the 79th General Assembly of the UN.  The anxiety mounted however with certainty considering that His Excellency Philemon Yang was the lone candidate for the election as Africa whose turn is now to preside at the 79th General Assembly had unanimously endorsed Yang as their candidate.
It therefore finally came to pass that in the election presided at by the President of the 78th General Assembly of the UN, Dennis Francis in the Hall of the institution in New York, Philemon Yang was voted his successor. Immediately after election, the presiding Ambassador Dennis Francis gave the floor to the President-elect Philemon Yang.
On the UN General Assembly rostrum, Philemon Yang thanked and congratulated his predecessor, expressed gratitude to the UN member States for voting him and particularly the Group of African States for presenting his candidacy.  He said the election was a great recognition for the Economic Community of Central African States that endorsed Cameroon’s candidacy. Philemon Yang said his election was a great honour for Cameroon and a great tribute to Cameroon’s Head of State, President Paul Biya. He presented the context in which he would be taking over the presidency of the 79th General Assembly of the UN. The context, he said, was that of differences marked by contrasts. He called on all to increase efforts and the political will to act together to change the situation. The yearning to change the current world situation, he said, justifies his working theme, ‘‘Unity in diversity for the advancement of peace, sustainable develo...