Israeli envoy to UN elected vice president of General Assembly
Danny Danon to start one-year term with opening of 72nd session of the UNGA in New York in September
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Israel’s Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon announced that he was elected vice president of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, calling it “an honor” to represent Israel in that leadership capacity.
Danon will begin his one-year term with the opening of the Seventy-Second Session of the General Assembly in September.
“It is an honor to represent the State of Israel in this leadership position at the United Nations,” Danon said in a statement. “We have proven once again that Israel is ready and able to serve in significant positions in the UN and the attempts to block this progress will not succeed.”
Danon was elected to the position as a representative of the Western European and Others (WEOG) group. He will chair General Assembly meetings when the president is absent, have a say in setting the agenda and oversee “the rules and decorum during the sessions,” his statement read.
Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Lajcak was elected as UNGA president.
There are 21 vice presidents of the General Assembly. Former Israeli ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor, also served in the role in 2012.
In May 2016, Danon became the first Israeli diplomat to chair the UNGA’s legal committee, the Sixth Committee, with 109 member states. He is the first Israeli to chair a permanent committee at the UN.
The Times of Israel Community.