General Assembly Adopts Six Draft Resolutions on Furthering United Nations’ Cooperation with Regional, Other Organizations
The General Assembly today adopted six draft resolutions underscoring the imperatives of continued cooperation between the United Nations and regional and other organizations. Delegates also raised specific concerns on matters capable of advancing or jeopardizing these partnerships.
Such cooperation is critical to maintaining international peace and security, promoting and protecting human rights and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to the Secretary-General’s report (document A/79/302) which highlights advances in the past two years.
Holding a recorded vote for only one item, the Assembly adopted five of the resolutions by consensus.
UN cooperation with Organization of Islamic Cooperation
Representing the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Cameroon’s speaker introduced a draft on UN cooperation with that organization (document A/79/L.9/Rev.1), by which the Assembly noted OIC’s request for greater interaction between its secretariat and that of the United Nations, extending beyond the current biennial arrangement to include periodic reviews of cooperation. It also affirmed that both organizations share a common goal of promoting and facilitating the Middle East peace process to reach its objective of establishing a just, comprehensive peace in the region, as well as fostering peaceful and political solutions to other conflicts in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.
By other terms, it recalled the Assembly’s adoption of resolution 78/264 of 15 March on measures to combat Islamophobia, in which the 193-member body called upon Member States to take all necessary measures, including legislative and policy ones, to combat religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, hatred, incitement to violence and violence against Muslims and requested the Secretary-General to appoint a United Nations Special Envoy to address that phenomenon.
Before the vote, Poland’s representative, speaking on behalf of the European Union in its observer capacity, expressed disappointment that despite its repeated objections, the reference to the 2025 programme of action of the OIC has been maintained in the draft. She reiterated that the contained language must be “fully consistent” with the General Assembly and Security Council resolutions and in consonance with international law and the UN Charter, which its provisions relating to Cyprus are not. The bloc therefore dissociates from consensus on the concerned paragraph and hopes that the Cooperation will not misuse its status in the 193-nation organ to “promote an illegal secessionist entity”.
UN cooperation with Collective Security Treaty Organization
Going through a vote and adopted by 67 in favour, eight against (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ukraine) and 69 abstentions was the draft resolution introduced by Kazakhstan’s delegate on cooperation between the UN and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (document A/79/L.11). By its terms, the Assembly stressed the importance of continuing to strive towards achieving a world free of terrorism, including through the comprehensive implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and invited the UN and the Treaty Organization to continue their interaction in the interest of the consistent and comprehensive implementation of the Strategy.
Prior to the vote, Hungary’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the European Union, in its capacity as observer, condemned the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine and urged all Member States to join it in voting against the draft on cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
Recalling that tomorrow marks 1,000 days since the Russian Federation’s invasion of her country — with “Belarus as its accomplice” — both of which are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Ukraine’s speaker said “it is unacceptable morally and politically to support any cooperation between the United Nations and the Collective Security Treaty Organization at a time when this violation of the UN Charter is still underway and in full swing.” Therefore, she urged Member States to not support any such cooperation and called for a recorded vote on “L.11”.
Also explaining her vote, the representative of Mexico said it is important that the resolutions adopted refer to international crimes and are fully in line with international instruments that codify these crimes. “It is extremely important to underscore that irregular migration is not the same thing as trafficking of persons,” she said, also adding: “We have to state clearly not all irregular migration is derived from illicit trafficking and migrants”.
UN cooperation with Organization for Democracy and Economic Development
The representative of Azerbaijan introduced the draft resolution on UN cooperation with the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development — GUAM (document A/79/L.12). Adopted by consensus, the text emphasized the importance of strengthening dialogue, cooperation and coordination between the two bodies and invited the Secretaries-General of both to engage in regular consultations. It also invited the UN system’s specialized agencies, components, organizations, programmes and funds to cooperate and develop direct contacts with the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development for the joint implementation of projects aimed at attaining common objectives.
UN cooperation with League of Arab States
Lebanon’s speaker, representing the Arab Group, introduced the draft resolution on UN cooperation with the League of Arab States (document A/79/L.13) which was adopted without a vote. By its terms, the text requested both organizations’ secretariats to follow up on the implementation of the recommendations and resolutions of the sixteenth general cooperation meeting to assist Arab States in addressing and confronting current and emerging challenges and emphasized their importance in continuing efforts to enhance the mechanisms of cooperation between the two organizations in all areas of mutual interest.
UN cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean Economic System
Also adopted by consensus was the text on the cooperation between the United Nations and the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (document A/79/L.14) presented by Bolivia’s delegate, wherewith it urged the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to continue to deepen its coordination and mutual support activities with the Economic System and invited the international community to continue to support the work of the different regional organizations in order to intensify cooperation and the exchange of relevant information to mitigate the consequences of the current economic crisis.
UN cooperation with Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
Japan’s representative introduced the draft resolution on the UN cooperation and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (document A/79/L.15). By its terms, the text noted with appreciation the New York liaison mechanism between the two organizations established in June 2017 and decided to include in the provisional agenda of its eighty-first session, the sub-item “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization”. It was adopted without a vote.
Delegates highlight progress in and mutual benefits of UN cooperation with regional and other multilateral organizations
In the ensuing debate, delegates, while addressing diverse issues relevant to specific cooperation frameworks between the UN and other regional and multilateral organizations, highlighted the progress made in this regard and urged a sustenance of the same.
Thailand’s speaker said because regional and other organizations have first-hand experience and knowledge of their regions, the enhanced cooperation between them and the UN “will allow both to better address various challenges of our time while leveraging on local expertise, building on existing regional initiatives and truly responding to unique needs and priorities of each region”. Agreeing, Maldives’s speaker said when such organizations are engaged in the UN’s operations, a regional perspective is weaved into its strategies, allowing for resilient development, dynamic change and sustainable peace. “Solutions forged at the national level, advanced at the regional level, and endorsed at the international level will accurately reflect a more diverse and representative world order,” he said.
For Malaysia’s representative, close cooperation between the United Nations and these organizations is vital for leveraging expertise and resources promoting comprehensive approaches to addressing complex global challenges and enhancing efficiency while avoiding overlaps and redundancy. Echoing this position, the speaker for the League of Arab States said such cooperation harnesses geographical, cultural, ethnic, racial and religious diversity.
Effective coordination key to avoid duplicating efforts
Highlighting the need for effective coordination to avoid a duplication of efforts, Rwanda’s delegate called for “clear division of labour between the UN and regional bodies to maximize the impact of our collective efforts” and urged the 193-member organ to, amidst current geopolitical tensions between world powers and political differences within regional organizations, continue to act as a neutral mediator, supporting the consensus-building efforts of such organizations.
Calls for greater vigilance to prevent global nuclear war
Some delegates underscored the need to prevent a global nuclear showdown with heightened vigilance in that regard.
The representative of Chile called for prompt entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and urged States whose ratification is so essential to accelerate the process without further delay. “We all agree that a nuclear war cannot be won,” he said, noting that the very existence of nuclear weapons threatens humanity. Therefore, we must “free ourselves” from the proliferation of such weapons. On that, Argentina’s delegate said as an instrument the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) “has shown itself to be decisive in bringing about a comprehensive stop to nuclear tests”. Active monitoring is therefore essential for its continued implementation.
The delegates of Mexico and Singapore addressed the critical role of trust — or the lack thereof — in underpinning the international and cross-regional collaboration process, with the former opining that that value system can serve as a starting point to resolve many current conflicts. In an increasingly polarized world, she added, “transparent and sound cooperation” among States, regions and the multilateral system is essential to ensuring a bright future for upcoming generations. For the latter, as geopolitical competition, climate change, transnational crime, and other issues threaten decades of development, “mistrust has made multilateral cooperation more difficult exactly when it's needed most.” Regional organizations should therefore be seen as essential partners to and not substitute for the UN’s work.
UN cooperation with Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
For Syria’s delegate, speaking on the item regarding “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons”, said the Secretary-General’s report on the matter (document A/79/131) was presented “before it was even discussed”. That is unacceptable, particularly disappointing and leads to further politicization. “This practice aims at giving an artificial impression that there is a common position among the States’ parties regarding the various issues contained in the report,” he said.
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