In actions taken late evening on Friday, the 193-member General Assembly also adopted nearly $50 million in additional funding for decisions taken by the Human Rights Council, UN’s primary forum on human rights matters. It also decided to establish the Peacebuilding Account, a dedicated multi-year special account, as a modality...
Dennis Francis, a veteran diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago, said he had returned from a visit to Haiti at the end of last month “with hope and the full knowledge that while Haiti is facing extraordinary challenges, its future holds indomitable promise.” The country has seen almost 4,000 killed and...
Video of the Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly. Member States adopted a resolution, demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages and well as “ensuring humanitarian access”. It passed with a large majority of 153 in favour and 10 against, with 23 abstentions...
This follows the adoption on Tuesday of a resolution that calls for a cessation of hostilities starting seven days before the opening of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and ending seven days after they conclude. The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States, with 120 voting on the resolution. ...
Resolution details The resolution’s full title is the “necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba”. The Assembly voiced concern that despite its resolutions dating back to 1992 (Resolution 47/19), “the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba is still...
The resolution breaks the deadlock at the UN over a response to the Israel-Palestine crisis which erupted on 7 October, where Member States on the Security Council have failed to reach agreement on four draft resolutions. Click here for our coverage of the Assembly’s Emergency Special Session on the crisis....
11:51 AM Iran slams ‘genocide’ Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, said that it has been three weeks that the international community has been a witness to the “war crime and genocide of the occupying Israeli regime in Gaza and the West Bank of Palestine.” He said that...
Real reform of the UN is vital to ensure an effective multilateral system, said Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, as he argued for “a return to listening and dialogue” to solve conflicts and lessen the suffering of humanity. “Any reform of the United Nations must not be...
Addressing the Assembly’s annual general debate, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, said, “the world cannot afford Cold War 2.0,” because there are a raft of challenges facing humankind that can only be addressed through global cooperation. Multiple shocks Indeed, a series of external “shocks” – COVID-19, climate change and conflict – have devastated...
Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed (at podium) addresses the closing meeting of the 77th session of the General Assembly. ‘Proving ground for multilateralism’: Deputy UN chief Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, commended Assembly President Kőrösi for his skilful stewardship over the past year. She praised the...
“The lives of those in need should never be reduced to the tactics of geopolitical games,” Csaba Kőrösi, President of the 77th session of the General Assembly, said. “Humanitarian action must always be guided by the principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence. As such, effective humanitarian assistance can never be...
The landmark resolution, adopted by consensus, calls for the General Assembly to automatically meet within 10 days if any of the five permanent members of the Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – uses their right of veto. The aim is to hold...