The General Assembly convened today to hold the first meeting of its thirty-first special session on the COVID-19 pandemic, adopting one decision — and taking note of six others recently approved through the organ’s temporary silence procedure — related to the session’s leadership and other modalities.
The General Assembly adopted two resolutions today on the global response to COVID-19, nearly six months after the novel coronavirus outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside a third resolution on the fight against malaria under way in Africa.
The Committee on Information closed its annual session during a videoconference meeting today, approving two hallmark draft resolutions, one focused on core questions of press freedom and the second laying out its requests and expectations for the newly reformed Department of Global Communications.
The General Assembly adopted three resolutions today, as the world body held its first plenary meeting since the start of coronavirus-related restrictions at Headquarters, taking note of more than 70 texts it had adopted under its silence procedure since 27 March.
Concluding its work today, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations approved, as orally revised, the draft report of its 2020 substantive session (document A/AC.121/2020/L.3).
Speakers praised and called for more details about the roll-out of a new framework for assigning senior managers greater authority to make decisions and hold their staff accountable for results, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) met to review the efficiency of that system in the United Nations Secretariat.
The General Assembly today decided to postpone the fourth session of the intergovernmental conference to draft a new global instrument on biodiversity in ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction, citing concerns over the coronavirus disease, COVID-19.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined how audit and oversight bodies are functioning across the United Nations organizations, while also weighing the benefits and risks of using cloud computing across these entities.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), continuing its first resumed session, put a spotlight on human resources management today, with delegates hailing progress towards gender parity among the Secretariat’s more than 37,000 staff members worldwide while also pressing for greater efforts to recruit personnel on as wide a geographical basis as possible.
The General Assembly today encouraged further strengthening the global diamond certification scheme known as the Kimberley Process to make it more effective and to ensure that it remains relevant in the future while also contributing to international peace and security and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
