The General Assembly today adopted a special decision‑making procedure, including the use of electronic voting, for adopting draft resolutions and decisions when it cannot hold in‑person meetings under “the most exceptional circumstances”, such as a COVID‑19‑induced lockdown.
Speakers called for a regulatory framework that will underpin international cooperation efforts when protecting persons in the event of disasters and assisting affected States, as the Sixth Committee today concluded its consideration of that agenda item.
The General Assembly, mindful of the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on its work, debated today whether to enact a special procedure for adopting resolutions and decisions “only in the most exceptional circumstances” when it cannot hold in‑person meetings, and postponed a vote on the matter to Friday, 13 November.
Meeting concurrently with the Security Council, the General Assembly today elected five judges — including four incumbents — out of a pool of eight candidates to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to serve nine-year terms beginning 6 February 2021.
Meeting concurrently with the Security Council, the General Assembly today was unable to elect five judges from an initial pool of eight candidates to the International Court of Justice for terms of nine years beginning 6 February 2021.
Endorsing the annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the General Assembly today adopted a draft resolution reaffirming its strong support for the Vienna-based organization, as its new Director-General outlined a major initiative to help Member States confront pandemics, even as it monitors ongoing non-proliferation concerns in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran.
As climate‑related hazards and natural phenomena continue to loom over many countries and the world continues to reel from the COVID‑19 pandemic, the debate on the protection of persons in the event of disasters took on an urgency that went beyond legal abstractions, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) today considered the Secretary‑General’s report on the matter (document A/75/214) and deliberated the merits of codifying related draft articles into an international agreement.
Despite long-held principles found in the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, delegates spotlighted recent attacks against their missions and staff, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the Secretary‑General’s report, “Consideration of effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives” (document A/75/168).
Sending a total of 72 draft resolutions and decisions to the General Assembly, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) concluded its seventy-fifth session today, approving 15 drafts and agreeing on its 2021 programme of work.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved 15 draft resolutions and decisions on a range of disarmament measures, including two following different paths towards keeping cyberspace safe.
