General Assembly

António Guterres of Portugal was sworn in today as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the General Assembly paying tribute to his predecessor, Ban Ki‑moon.

Exposing deep rifts between its 193 members, the General Assembly voted today to adopt a resolution demanding an immediate end to all hostilities in Syria, as speakers decried the Security Council’s continued impotence on a situation that threatened to become “the shame of our time”.

Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today shared their views on the United Nations efforts to combat sexual exploitation and abuse in its ranks, stressing the need for a more cohesive approach to eradicating the problem that included adherence to its zero-tolerance policy and training for peacekeepers, both before deployment and in the field.

The General Assembly would stress the importance of overcoming silos in sustainable development by the terms of a draft resolution approved by recorded vote, one of 15 draft resolutions taken up today by the Second Committee (Economic and Financial).

Tasked with addressing and alleviating the largest scale of human suffering — 130 million dependent on aid for survival — since the founding of the United Nations, the General Assembly took up a plethora of humanitarian issues today, adopting five resolutions on a sector whose workers were increasingly in demand and danger.

Delegates supported the restructuring of the body charged with enhancing the Organization’s partnership with the African Union on peace and security matters, but asked for more details on staffing and operations as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined the Secretary-General’s proposal on the matter.

Adopting two resolutions related to the conservation and management of the Earth’s oceans, the General Assembly today proclaimed 2 May World Tuna Day, spotlighting the vital socioeconomic importance of the widely consumed fish to peoples around the globe.

Upon the recommendation of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), the General Assembly adopted 35 resolutions and 2 decisions today, on issues including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and decolonization.

Heralded in ancient times for its ability to bring warring parties together, modern sport could be a powerful enabler of sustainable development and a tool for empowering young people, the General Assembly heard this morning.

Speakers highlighted both the successes and serious issues related to implementation as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined progress over the past year in rolling out Umoja, the United Nations ambitious business management project.