The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly.
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Election
The session of the assembly is scheduled for every year starting in September—any special, or emergency special, assemblies over the next year will be headed by the president of the UNGA.
The presidency rotates annually between the five geographic groups: African, Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and other States.
Because of their powerful stature globally, some of the largest, most powerful countries have never held the presidency, including the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Japan.
A few countries had a national elected as president of UNGA twice: Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Hungary, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. In addition to the president, a slate of 21 vice-presidents are elected for each General Assembly session. The vice-presidents have the same powers and duties as the president, and the president may designate one of them to cover his or her absence from any meeting or part thereof.
List of presidents
Abbreviations
Pre-1966
COS: Commonwealth Seat
EAS: Eastern European and Asian Seat
LAS: Latin American Seat
MES: Middle Eastern Seat
WES: Western European Seat
Since 1966
Africa: African Group
Asia-Pacific: Asian Group, since 2011 the Asia-Pacific Group
EEG: Eastern European Group
GRULAC: Latin American and Caribbean Group
WEOG: Western European and Others Group