Did you know that the Belgian statesman, Paul-Henri Spaak was the first President of the United Nations General Assembly?

Paul-Henri Spaak was elected to this position on 10 January 1946. 

This Belgian Statesman, born in Brussels in 1899, held many important roles, both nationally and internationally. A minister in several Belgian governments from 1936 to 1964, in particular he was Foreign Affairs Minister and Prime Minister. During the war, he was a member of the exiled Belgian government in London, the Prime Minister of which was Hubert Pierlot.

Paul Henri Spaak was also known for being one of the founding fathers of the European Union; an expression which recognises those who promoted European unity in the 20th century in creating the European Union in Europe.

President of the European Movement from 1950 to 1955, Paul Henri Spaak was also President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the ECSC from 1952 to 1954 and Belgium's negotiator and signatory for the Treaty of Rome, which forms the basis for the European Economic Community.