During a plenary session of the General Assembly held in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres conducted a random draw to determine which country would occupy the opening seat for the upcoming session. Following established UN protocols, Morocco was selected.

«The Secretary-General has just announced the country that will hold the first seat in the General Assembly Hall during the next session. That country is Morocco», confirmed UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric in a press briefing, highlighting the significance of this decision.

The same session also saw the election of Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, as President of the 81st General Assembly. Member states further appointed vice-presidents for the session, including the United States, China, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Egypt, Afghanistan, and Gabon.

The General Assembly, the UN’s primary multilateral body comprising all 193 member states, operates on a principle of equal voting rights. Among its key responsibilities are approving the UN budget, electing non-permanent members of the Security Council, and appointing the Secretary-General.