October 4, 2012
The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Volker Jermisch, announced the names of the members of the Council of Wise belonging to the United Nations, including former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohammad AlSabah.
Jermisch expressed his pleasure at relying on the support and advice of the members of the Council of Wise for the 67th presidency of the General Assembly, which he called for by several of his predecessors, in a press conference held last night.
It is worth mentioning that Jermisch previously served as the Foreign Minister of Serbia before being selected as the President of the General Assembly earlier this year.
Former foreign ministers of Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Chile, and Indonesia were also selected, in addition to Dr. Mohammad AlSabah, to be members of the Council of Wise. They will work from their respective countries to provide advice when requested, without any compensation. Jermisch emphasized that the General Assembly, under his presidency, will play a prominent role in examining issues related to global economic management, strengthening efforts to achieve sound solutions to conflicts, and enhancing the role of the United Nations in inter-civilizational cooperation.
Jermisch called for the establishment of a "consultative mechanism" between the Group of 20 of the world's largest economies and the rest of the world's countries, or the Group of 173, to ensure more inclusive directions regarding global economic issues. He explained that such a mechanism would enable the Group of 173 countries to present their proposals and opinions for the benefit of the Group of 20, adding that there would be consultations to hold a high-level debate in 2013, with the aim of establishing such a mechanism with the participation of the General Assembly.
Source: Al-Qabas Newspaper