OIA PRESS RELEASE

Palau Elected Vice President of the General Assembly;
Smallest Country Ever to Hold the Post

Washington, D.C. (August 29, 2007) — On July 26, 2007, in New York, New York, the United Nations General Assembly elected the Republic of Palau as one of the 21 Vice-Presidents of the General Assembly.  The Vice-Presidents play an important role as members of the General Committee, determining the agenda of the 62nd Assembly, which begins on September 18, 2007.

Commenting on the election, H.E. Stuart Beck, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Palau, said:   “Palau is the smallest country ever to serve in this prestigious position and we are honored by the UN for this opportunity.  We view this election as recognition of the under-representation of Pacific Island countries in the governing bodies of the UN and its agencies, and as an acknowledgement of Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr.’s leadership on international environmental initiatives such as the bottom trawling ban.

Palau’s candidacy was endorsed by the Asian Group, the largest UN regional group consisting of 55 members.  The most recent Pacific Island nation to hold the post of UNGA Vice-President was the Republic of Fiji thirteen years ago. The other Vice-Presidents are the United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, France, Bahamas, Benin, Botswana, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gambia, Honduras, Iceland, Iraq, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uruguay.

For more information on Palau’s activities at the United Nations, visit the Palau UN Mission website at www.palauun.org