General Assembly

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) elected Lachezara Stoeva (Bulgaria) Chair on 7 June.

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) elected Mohan Pieris (Sri Lanka) as its Chair.

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) met for a brief organizational meeting today, approving a work programme after electing Peter Mohan Maithri Pieris (Sri Lanka) as its Chair for the General Assembly’s seventy-seventh session, following the withdrawal of Magzhan Ilyassov (Kazakhstan) from that position.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization Committee) approved its work programme for the seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly today, covering topics ranging from the decolonization of the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories and United Nations peacekeeping operations, to the plight of Palestinian refugees and Israel’s practices in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, among other agenda items.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the United Nations General Assembly held its first meeting of the seventy-seventh session today, introducing the Bureau and approving its organization of work.

“Nuclear weapons are the most destructive power ever created — they offer no security, just carnage and chaos,” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, opening the plenary meeting to mark the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. 

It is critical to finally make United Nations reform a reality to represent the entire international community, said ministers and representatives from around the world today, demanding further action on the current compounding crises as the General Assembly concluded its annual general debate.

​​​​​​​Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks, as delivered, to the General Assembly for the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, in New York today:

Confrontation, unilateral action and interference in the internal affairs of States must yield to dialogue, cooperation and adherence to international law, world leaders stressed today as the General Assembly high-level debate continued, as the shortcomings of the current international system in addressing global challenges are manifest.

Under the shadow of war in Ukraine, world leaders today cast a spotlight on long-standing conflicts in other parts of the world, as the General Assembly continued its annual general debate, with speakers calling for strict adherence to international law and the Charter of the United Nations, while others sounded the alarm on the existential threat of climate change.