Above: Ambassador John Ashe

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua’s Ambassador to the United Nations, John Ashe, has been elected President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Ashe, who was chosen along with 21 vice presidents in New York on Friday, said he would focus on overcoming poverty and ensuring sustainable development.

“Failure is not an option,” he said, pointing to the post-2015 development agenda and calling on Member States to “forge ahead with dogged determination.”

Ashe succeeds Serbia’s Vuk Jeremić in the post.

Antigua Prime Minister Dr Baldwin Spencer said the vote for Ashe showed the UN’s confidence in his abilities.

“The citizens of Antigua and Barbuda can be proud of this singular achievement that has been bestowed on our UN Ambassador by countries around the world,” Spencer said. “I have no doubt that Ambassador Ashe can and will provide the necessary leadership during his tenure as President of the 68th session of the General Assembly.”

The last time a Caribbean national held the UN general assembly presidency was in 2003 and 2004, when St Lucia’s Julian Robert Hunte was elected and served for two emergency special sessions.