Plenary

The General Assembly today adopted its work programme for the seventy-eighth session, deciding to include a range of new items on its agenda, including the “Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction” — a historic maritime biodiversity treaty adopted on 19 June by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction.

The General Assembly opened its seventy-eighth session today, with its newly elected President calling on Member States to come together and commit to advancing the causes of peace, prosperity and sustainability in the face of a world beset by a series of cascading challenges.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, delivered on behalf of the Secretary-General, at the opening of the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York today:

The General Assembly concluded its seventy-seventh session today, with outgoing President Csaba Kőrösi (Hungary) urging Member States’ international cooperation, despite geopolitical conflicts, to forge future-proof integrated solutions to global challenges and uphold their promises to the world’s 8 billion people.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, delivered on behalf of the Secretary-General, at the closing of the seventy-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly, in New York today:

The General Assembly adopted today 5 resolutions and 3 decisions, including one that reaffirms the organ’s role in peace, security and the veto initiative, while also encouraging States to keep in mind that there has yet to be a woman Secretary-General.

Amid the annual commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests today, the President of the General Assembly warned that the world is closer than any other time in this century to global catastrophe and stressed the urgent need to enter into force the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

The General Assembly adopted today one decision and a series of resolutions without a vote, including one in which it urged Member States to reinforce their efforts and adopt effective measures to prevent and counter crimes that impact the environment, conservation and biodiversity, and to take decisive steps at the national level to prevent, combat and eradicate the illegal trade in wildlife.

The General Assembly today adopted two resolutions — including one on entry into force of a previously adopted agreement on the oceans and conservation of biodiversity — while rejecting an amendment proposed by the Russian Federation that would have deleted three critical paragraphs of the text.

The General Assembly today adopted three consensus decisions on global health and foreign policy and three consensus resolutions on strengthening of the United Nations system, the impact of rapid technological change on the Sustainable Development Goals, and culture of peace — with the latter surviving an attempt to alter its language and sparking a heated debate on whether acts against religious symbols or books constitute a violation of international law.