General Assembly

The General Assembly adopted on 18 June a resolution on peacekeeping operations and a decision extending its “silence procedure” through July, allowing it to continue its work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Assembly elected Volkan Bozkir, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, as President of its seventy-fifth session and filled vacancies on the Security Council and Economic and Social Council, with Member States voting at United Nations Headquarters on 17 and 18 June, in line with restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Assembly, taking up a recommendation from its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) on the appointment of members to the Committee on Contributions (document A/74/525/Add.3) and acting through its temporary silence procedure amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, decided on 5 June to appoint Lin Shan (China) to the 18-member body.

The General Assembly, acting through its temporary silence procedure amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, adopted a resolution deciding to hold a special session in April 2021 on challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption.

The General Assembly adopted a decision on 29 May to hold elections to fill vacancies in the Security Council, Economic and Social Council and its Main Committees amid current COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The General Assembly proclaimed 9 September the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, adopting a resolution that reaffirms the right to education for all and the importance of ensuring safe, enabling learning environments in humanitarian emergencies.

The General Assembly adopted two decisions since 15 May, one on counter-terrorism and the other on extending the world body’s “silence procedure” until the end of June so it can continue its work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Assembly adopted seven resolutions and 13 decisions since 27 March amid the coronavirus pandemic, including one adjusting its work methods and two others calling for intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat COVID-19 and for Member States and stakeholders to take steps to prevent speculation and undue stockpiling that may hinder access to required equipment to address the spread of the virus.

Following is a statement by the General Assembly Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People:

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).