The approved $3.72 billion regular budget (RB) for 2025 represents an increase of about $1 million over the Secretary-General’s October proposal to the Assembly’s Fifth Committee, which oversees administrative and budgetary matters. The regular budget funds UN programmes across key areas, including political affairs, international justice and law, regional cooperation...
The agreement on the legally binding treaty marked the culmination of a five-year effort by UN Member States, with inputs from civil society, information security experts, academia and the private sector. UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed the adoption of the Convention – the first international criminal justice treaty to have...
The actions were taken at the Assembly’s resumed 10th emergency special session, following the failure of the Security Council to adopt a resolution demanding such a ceasefire and full hostage release. Despite securing 14 votes in favour, that text put forward by the 10 elected members of the Council, failed...
Backed by more than 140 nations and adopted without a vote, the resolution recognised that addressing the unlawful trade in such items is vital to preserve the identity and traditions of communities worldwide and enabling them to freely practice and safeguard priceless heritage. It also acknowledged the devastating impact of...
Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini made an impassioned plea to protect the UN agency for Palestine refugees at the General Assembly’s meeting on UNRWA’s fate days after Israel informed the world body of new laws to ban it as bombings and displacement continued on Wednesday across Gaza and Lebanon, with UN officials...
In a speech delivered during a debate on African development, Assembly President Philémon Yang addressed the continent’s progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s (AU) related framework, known as Agenda 2063. “There has never been a better time to accelerate progress towards peace, prosperity and sustainable...
The situation is critical, said UN General Assembly President Philémon Yang, who convened the high-level meeting. He noted that estimates indicate up to 1.2 billion people could be forcibly displaced. “For those on the front lines, the impacts of rising seas threaten livelihoods, inflict damage to settlements and critical infrastructure, and...
With war raging in Sudan and no end in sight to the catastrophic hunger crisis it has created, UN agencies and Member States meeting at the General Assembly in New York on Wednesday prepared to issue a renewed call for urgent action to protect the country’s people....
Emphasizing the urgent need for collective action to address pressing global issues, Mr. Yang highlighted the critical state of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), noting that with only five years remaining until the globally agreed 2030 deadline, less than 17 per cent of the targets are on track. He...
Ambassadors in the UN General Assembly again discussed on Monday the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and the critical work of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, which is facing an existential threat, hearing a briefing by its Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, and holding a heated debate on the US...
Secretary-General António Guterres said the past year had been marked by ongoing poverty, inequality and conflict, emphasizing that it was also the hottest year on record. Addressing the session’s final plenary meeting, he highlighted the “hope and inspiration” in what can be achieved if the global community worked as one....
Assembly Vice President Cheikh Niang of Senegal, holding the gavel in the General Assembly Hall and deputizing for President Dennis Francis, read out a statement on his behalf. General Assembly Vice President Cheikh Niang chairs the Emergency Special Session meets on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian...