General Assembly Adopts Fourth Committee Resolution on Peacekeeping Operations Review, Also Extends ‘Silence Procedure’ for Conducting Its Work until 31 July

The General Assembly adopted on 18 June a resolution on peacekeeping operations and a decision extending its “silence procedure” through July, allowing it to continue its work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under its silence procedure, the world body adopted resolution 74/277, “Comprehensive review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their aspects:  Report of the Special Political and Decolonization Committee (Fourth Committee)” (document A/74/411/Add.1).  By the resolution’s terms, it endorsed the Fourth Committee’s proposals, recommendations and conclusions contained in chapter V of its report, and urged Member States, the Secretariat and relevant organs of the United Nations to take all steps necessary to implement them.

In adopting the decision “Extension of the procedure for taking decisions of the General Assembly during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic until the end of July 2020” (document A/74/L.72), also by the silence procedure, it extended its decisions 74/544 and 74/555.

Under decision 74/544, “Procedure for taking decisions of the General Assembly during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic”, adopted on 27 March, the Assembly President is authorized to circulate, after consultation with the General Committee, its draft decisions to all Member States under a silence procedure of at least 72 hours.  If the silence is not broken, the decision should be considered adopted.  On 15 May, through decision 74/555 (document A/74/L.65), the silence procedure was extended until the end of June.  (See also Press Releases GA/12244 of 14 May and GA/12245 of 20 May.)

The final version of decisions adopted during the resumed part of the General Assembly’s seventy-fourth session will be contained in the Assembly’s official record (document A/74/49 (Vol. III)) after editorial review.