General Assembly

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).

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.