It is as if， having set out on a long journey towards an agreed destination， our vehicle has developed engine trouble that slows our progress and prevents us from making good speed towards our destination. We tinker with roadmaps， plans and directions without consensus on what needs fixing and the best means to fix it. And while， we the leaders， as drivers of the vehicle remain parked some distance from our final destination， debating how best to fix the engine， our passengers， who are the citizens of the world， look on powerless and voiceless， many of them dying of hunger and thirst with no access to food or clean water. The question before us then is： will we be able to work together and fix our vehicle so that we can progress on the journey to effect real and meaningful change？-- John W. AsheLying at the north of Lesser Antilles， Caribbean is a small but picturesque island country -- Antigua and Barbuda. The motto of "Each endeavoring， all achieving" gave continuous momentum to the hospitable and friendly people of Antigua and Barbuda， and John W. Ashe is one of the exemplary representatives among them.From Caribbean to UN： Almost 60 years’ trek Over six decades ago， in Antigua and Barbuda， the island country of Caribbean， there lived a family with seven kids. Their parents never have the opportunity to finish high school， and could not give academic support to their kids. Among the seven kids， one kid was once signed X by his grandfather. His mother was a descendent of slave plantation owners in Barbados. He made his mind to become the first one to go to college and spared no effort to seek a chance. The kid above-mentioned later became the father of John W. Ashe.Mr. Ashe was born in 1954 in St. John's， Antigua and Barbuda， and holds a Doctorate in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania （United States）. Having joined his country's Foreign Service in 1989， Mr. Ashe was awarded the Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George （CMG） by Queen Elizabeth II （United Kingdom） in 2007， in recognition of his global diplomatic service. Since 2004， he began to take important jobs like representative to WTO， chief negotiator on sustainable development， permanent representative to UN， among others.Mr. Ashe is known for his abilities as a mediator. He successfully led negotiations that resulted in Chapter X of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation at the 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development （Rio+10）； and co-chaired the UN Conference on Sustainable Development （Rio+20） in 2012. In 2004 he presided over the thirteenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development， the body responsible for reviewing programmes on the implementation of Agenda 21 -- a blueprint to rethink economic growth， advance social equity and ensure environmental protection.A veteran of the multilateral process， in 2008 Mr. Ashe was elected to serve as Chairman of the New York chapter of the Group of 77 and China， the largest coalition of developing nations in the UN system. He also chaired the General Assembly's High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation， the UN's main policymaking body dedicated to furthering cooperation for development among the countries comprising the global South.Well versed in the UN's administrative and budgetary processes， Mr. Ashe was Chairman of the UN General Assembly's Fifth Committee in 2004， successfully guiding negotiations for the world body's 2006-2007 biennial budget. In addition， he has served on the governing boards of major UN funds and programmes， including as President of the UN Development Programme （UNDP） -- UN Population Fund （UNFPA） -- UN Office for Project Services （UNOPS） Executive Board in 2010， and as President of the UN Children's Fund （UNICEF） Executive Board in 2012. He was elected as President of the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly on June 14， 2013.President of the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General AssemblyWhen Ashe was elected as president of the 68th session of UNGA， UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said， the two had worked together on a number of important issues over the years， especially on sustainable development and climate change. "Ambassador Ashe also gained valuable experience as Chairman of the Fifth Committee in charge of administrative and budgetary works. This is one of the toughest jobs at the United Nations -- and it prepares you to work long hours. As Chairman of the Group of 77 in New York， Ambassador Ashe led an influential and diverse coalition of States. Representing Antigua and Barbuda， he can help the Assembly make an important contribution to next year's International Conference on Small Island Developing States." He stressed that Ambassador Ashe had more than impressive experience and educational credentials. Above all， the new General Assembly President is a trusted partner with personal integrity. This is essential in the world of diplomacy， where one's word is the most valuable currency.As the president of UNGA， the most important deliberative institution in UN， Ashe was rather concerned about various conflicts aching the world， including wars -- imminent or impending； civil and sectarian blood-shed and strife between， as well as within states； grinding poverty and malnutrition； gender violence； adverse effects of climate change and loss of valuable biodiversity； and the struggles of men， women and the young seeking to live with human dignity and peace."Across this world of ours， we see rising ethnic and religious extremism， gender inequities， growing unrest and political tensions， and increasing socio-economic inequalities. We see women dying in childbirth； girl children marrying before the age often （10）； and the young who dare not dream of a future because they know all too well there may never be one. Against this background， we are assembled here at this Assembly amidst circumstances that increasingly cause many to wonder whether the vision of our founding fathers （and mothers） as articulated in the Charter is achievable or realistic. And yet we can not forget this fundamental faith -- the tie which unite us is firmer and more sustained then that which divide us." In his mind， presidency of UNGA itself is full of difficulties. The holder of this office is exposed to enormous pressures from various sides on any particular issue relevant to the mandate of the United Nations； he or she must display endless patience； must not be discouraged by others' cynicism； must manifest an unswerving dedication to， and belief in， the principles and purposes of the Organization； must be strong enough to overcome set-backs， must empathize with all members and yet be dispassionate and even-handed， showing no fear or favor to one over the other， must endlessly improvise as he or she seeks to nudge one side or the other， or preferably both， toward common ground. And YET， the paradox is that the President of the General Assembly is without power to commit Member States to a particular course of action， and must not only remain neutral but be seen as so， if she or he is to retain any credibility. She or he can do no more than reflect， and appeal to states to work together， in the hope that appropriate and requisite international cooperation will be achieved.Facing this， he said， "The hopes and dreams of millions for a conflict-free world rest on us. We cannot afford to be indifferent or immune to the changing world around us. We cannot stand idly by as millions struggle， or merely settle for surviving， when there should be opportunities for all to thrive. Put another way， the United Nations must reform or it will become inconsequential. A critical component of that reform is to revitalize the General Assembly and its work programme. What exactly does that mean？ It means enhancing its role and authority and increasing its effectiveness and efficiency. Of course reform is needed in all the principal organs of the United Nations， including the Economic and Social Council and the Security Council. Therefore， it should come as no surprise that I will strive to reinvigorate， advance and， yes， against incredible -- and some would say impossible odds -- conclude discussions on the reform of these organs. That is a top priority， and I call on each and every one of you in the General Assembly to join me in making it a reality."Post-2015 agendaIn his acceptance speech， Ashe declared the theme of the sixty-eighth session， as well as that of the annual general debate of the General Assembly， to be "The Post-2015 Development Agenda： Setting the Stage！". Guided by a passion for sustainable development， Mr. Ashe has been in the forefront of international efforts to address the adverse effects of climate change and the fight to eradicate poverty. He has served in a leadership capacity on many of the governing bodies of the major UN environmental agreements， including as the first Chairman of the Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC）. He also chaired the same Convention's Subsidiary Body on Implementation （SBI）， and， most recently， the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol （AWG-KP）. "We only have the planet we live on， and if we are to leave it in a reasonable state for the next generation， the quest for a safer， cleaner， and more equitable world is one that should consume us all，" he says， summing up his philosophy.He believed that agenda must be wholly universal. It must， in his view， be a development agenda that is relevant all people and all societies， and it must bring about global transformation for everyone， with shared but differentiated responsibilities.He also thought， implementing such an agenda will be a complex task -- politically， socially， economically， environmentally， culturally and technically. Arguably， it may be the boldest and most ambitious project that the United Nations has ever had to accomplish， and we， the General Assembly， will need to be equally bold， ambitious and collaborative if we are to rise to the task we are about to undertake and ensure its completion.He stressed that， as we consider our new agenda， above all， we must draw on the experiences -- the lessons learned -- from the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals， both in terms of results achieved and opportunities missed. We must also reflect on the new and emerging development challenges， with attention to two main goals， namely， overcoming poverty and insecurity and ensuring sustainable development. Both time-bound global goals and national-level targets with measurable indicators will need to be developed. New and revised partnerships and bold political leadership at all levels are paramount. We must skillfully integrate the economic， social and environmental dimensions of sustainability， and we must balance the practical with the aspirational. Finally， our commitment to a world of opportunity， equity， freedom， dignity and peace -- the principles of the Millennium Declaration of 2000 （resolution 55/2） -- should not just be reaffirmed； they must also be re-energized."I was born on a small island in the Caribbean. However， I take to heart the often-repeated maxim that no man is an island. I fully recognize that， given the task of my position， I will need to rely -- indeed depend -- on all members if I am to perform my duties effectively， to create a new， meaningful development agenda which can not only protect the planet， but also can create equality， justice and prosperity for all people in the world."