General Assembly Adopts Four Drafts on Strengthening Global Health, Forging Durable Peace throughout Africa, Upholding Rights of Displaced Persons in Georgia
The General Assembly today adopted several texts, including one that urged Member States to strengthen health systems towards the provision of equitable universal health coverage.
That text, titled “Global health and foreign policy: accelerating the fight against diseases driven by social determinants of health” (document A/80/L.60), was adopted by a recorded vote of 161 in favour to 3 against (Argentina, Russian Federation and the United States), with 4 abstentions (Iran, Israel, New Zealand and Paraguay).
In additional terms, it called upon Member States to strengthen governance for health and development and promote access to high-quality, preventive, curative and rehabilitative gender-responsive health services throughout the life cycle.
Agreement on Expediting Fight against Disease, yet Some Reservations
Introducing that text, Brazil’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the members of the Foreign Policy and Global Health Initiative, said the draft “moves beyond the traditional notion of diseases of poverty by highlighting the structural injustices that perpetuate certain health conditions”. In every country, factors such as income, education, social status, gender, ethnicity and place of birth make a profound difference in life expectancy and health. This calls for “a multisectoral approach that integrates health policies, social protection and sustainable development”, he said.
However, the representative of the United States, who called for a vote on this text, said: “The American people’s health is the business of the American people”, adding: “While we all want better health outcomes, the United States will not sign onto a text that undermines national sovereignty.” Further, the text “reflects mandate creep”, and tasks the Secretary-General with reporting requirements “outside of his purview”, she said. She also rejected attempts to “inject” diversity, equity and inclusion into health policy, which “prioritizes ideology at the expense of science”.
Italy’s delegate said his delegation abstained from the Pandemic Agreement during the World Health Assembly in May 2025, therefore it cannot align with preambular paragraph 36, which welcomes its adoption. He, as well as the representative of Cyprus, speaking for the European Union, expressed concerns regarding the partially caveated reference to the technology transfer in the resolution. “Technology transfer can only be undertaken on a voluntary basis and on mutually agreed terms,” he stressed.
Iran’s speaker, who also abstained, said health-related resolutions should avoid the politicization of development and health agendas through the introduction of controversial and non-consensual concepts. He expressed reservations to references to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
‘Human-Centred’ Text on Rights of Internally Displaced Persons in Georgia
Also taking a vote today was a resolution on the “Status of internally displaced persons and refugees from Abkhazia, Georgia, and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia” (document A/80/L.73), which was adopted by a recorded vote of 107 in favour to 8 against (Belarus, Burundi, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Nicaragua, Russian Federation and Sudan), with 55 abstentions.
By its terms, the Assembly recognized the right of return of all internally displaced persons and refugees and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, to their homes throughout Georgia, including in those regions, and stressed the need to respect the property rights of all internally displaced persons and refugees affected by the conflicts in that country.
Georgia’s delegate, introducing that text, said he was speaking on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and refugees who were forcibly displaced from his country’s occupied regions. “Let me be clear: This resolution is not directed against any party, nor does it seek to assign blame for the circumstances that led to the forced displacement,” he added. The text is “human-centered”, he said, and its main goal is to address the humanitarian plight of those who were forced to flee their homes during successive waves of ethnic cleansing, starting in the 1990s and culminating with the military aggression against Georgia in August 2008.
Russian Federation Finds Fault with Text, European Nations Support It
However, the representative of the Russian Federation said the root cause of the situation was the “long-standing aggressive policy of the Georgian authorities” that “led to several armed conflicts waged by Tbilisi against Abkhazia and South Ossetia”. Given the threat faced by “Russian citizens” in South Ossetia, Moscow began an operation that “saved the entire South Ossetian people from imminent annihilation”, she said. In introducing this text every year, she said, Georgia “wants to re-wage the war of 2008 through resolutions in the General Assembly and to draw this body into political manipulation, which has nothing to do with any concern for the fate of refugees”.
Other speakers supported that text, including the representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, who expressed concern about restrictions to the work of civil society organizations. Lithuania’s delegate, speaking also for Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden, highlighted discriminatory policies pursued by the Russian Federation, including treating displaced Georgians as foreigners or stateless persons through restrictive documentation and residency practices. Ukraine’s delegate said that “displacement has become intergenerational”.
Annalena Baerbock (Germany), President of the Assembly, invited delegates to imagine the plight of children who were born in Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali regions and had to flee “given the constant barriers to living a full life”. They remain unable to return or even visit their grandparents who live lives hemmed in by movement restrictions.
Brazil’s delegate, who abstained, reaffirmed respect for Georgia’s territorial integrity. His country will continue to support all international efforts aimed at a peaceful, negotiated solution that responds to the needs of the affected people and contributes to regional stability.
Sustainable Development as Path to Durable Peace in Africa
Through another draft resolution titled “Promotion of durable peace through sustainable development in Africa” (document A/80/L.70), the Assembly urged continued support for measures to address the challenges of poverty eradication and hunger, decent job creation and sustainable development in Africa. Among many other provisions seeking to implement a comprehensive approach to sustaining peace, the Assembly also underscored the importance of scaling up demand-based institutional, technological and human capacity-building in African countries.
Uruguay’s delegate, who introduced that text on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said that this annual resolution remains one of the Assembly’s “most important vehicles for addressing the interlinkages between peace, security and development in Africa”. This year’s draft reflects the outcomes of the 2025 Peacebuilding Architecture Review, welcoming the valuable advice received from the Peacebuilding Commission. “The resolution also recognizes that investing in conflict prevention is not only a moral imperative but also a highly cost-effective investment that saves lives,” she said.
Speaking in explanation of vote before the vote, the representative of the United States said that the resolution includes “over 10 pages of problematic language that does nothing to advance the UN’s core mandate of maintaining international peace and security” and, therefore, her delegation will request a recorded vote and vote against it.
First the Assembly retained operative paragraph 42 of that text by a recorded vote of 147 in favour to 2 against (Dominican Republic and Russian Federation), with 2 abstentions (Paraguay and Sudan). That paragraph refers to the Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting held in Ghana in December 2023, as well as the one held in Germany in May 2025. Next, it adopted the text as a whole by a recorded vote of 165 in favour to 1 against (United States), with no abstentions.
Key Role of Education in Fostering Peace
The Assembly also adopted a resolution on “Education for Peace” (document A/80/L.72) — this without a vote. By its terms, the Assembly underlined the key role of education in promoting the values of a culture of peace and non-violence and urged the appropriate authorities to provide age-appropriate education in children’s schools.
The representative of Armenia, who introduced that text, said that societies that invest in education are investing in dialogue and peaceful co-existence. It is the “strategy of strategies”, he said, adding that life-long learning is critical to enable people to adapt to a rapidly changing world.
Speaking in explanation of vote, the representative of the Russian Federation — while supporting the adoption — noted that the term “cyberbullying” is “not in line with Russia’s approach towards information and communication technologies”.
Assembly Elects 18 Members to Economic and Social Council
In other business, the Assembly also elected a total of 18 new members to the Economic and Social Council today who will begin their terms on 1 January 2027. Luxembourg was first elected in a by-election to replace Switzerland, which will step down on 31 December 2026 — accordingly, Luxembourg’s term will begin on 1 January 2027, and expire on 31 December 2027.
Next, the Assembly elected Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Eritrea, France, Germany, Guatemala, Guinea, Ireland, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, North Macedonia, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Senegal and the United Kingdom to the Council to serve three-year terms, beginning 1 January 2027.
They will join the following current members who will continue their terms beyond 1 January 2027: Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Canada, Chad, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, India, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Mozambique, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Russian Federation, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Republic of Tanzania, United States and Uzbekistan.