General Assembly: Press Release

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the virtual commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York today:

The COVID-19 pandemic cast a long shadow over what should have been a celebratory seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly, forcing Member States to adopt unprecedented working methods as world leaders grappled with the far-reaching consequences of the worst global health crisis in a century on top of long-standing issues ranging from climate change and poverty eradication to human rights and arms control.

Welcoming wide participation in the 2020 review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture, the Security Council today called on the Peacebuilding Commission to continue strengthening its advisory and liaison roles in support of the national priorities of countries emerging from conflict.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Virtual Peacebuilding Commission Meeting on Sierra Leone, today:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, to the General Assembly special session in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, held today:

In the context of a humanitarian crisis exacerbated by COVID‑19, speakers called on Israel to end its illegal practices and enable an environment conducive to a negotiated peace with Palestinians, as the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People met today to observe the annual International Day of Solidarity.

Following are UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly Solemn Meeting in Commemoration of all Victims of the Second World War, held today:

The United Nations marks the passage of General Assembly resolution 181 (ii) of 1947 every year as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, with special meetings and events at Headquarters in New York, and at the UN offices in Vienna, Geneva, Nairobi and elsewhere, organized on or around 29 November.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the Secretary‑General’s report on the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law (document A/75/389), delegates praised its unique contribution to promoting the rule of law by providing high quality, accessible training in international law education, even during an unprecedented pandemic.

International collaboration and a sustained, adequately funded response are needed to ensure the world’s 80 million displaced persons are protected from the COVID‑19 pandemic and its lingering socioeconomic aftermath, Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates discussed tackling ever-proliferating humanitarian crises amid an unprecedented emergency.