Seeking to carry out decisions made at the September World Summit, the president of the United Nations General Assembly has accelerated work in the areas of development and management reform, his spokesman on Tuesday.

Pragati Pascale told reporters in New York that Assembly President Jan Eliasson has received support for his proposals to appoint lead negotiators on those issues.

The proposals were contained in a letter sent by the president to the 191 member states late last week. In it, he assessed progress achieved so far in implementing the summit's "Outcome Document" and charted a course for future action.

Talks on the Peacebuilding Commission, which would aim to help post-conflict countries, have been "constructive," he wrote, predicting that the new body would be operational by the end of the year.

In order to achieve "balanced and comprehensive progress," he called for work on development -- specifically aimed at meeting international targets for cutting poverty and management reform. Towards that end, he proposed a consultation process geared towards advancing agreement.

The General Assembly president said the very credibility of the body he now leads is at stake. "As we continue our work, we must not lose sight of this unique opportunity to reassert the relevance of the General Assembly to the major international issues of our age," he wrote to the members.

Source: Xinhua