Plenary

In two rounds of voting today, the General Assembly elected Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Viet Nam as non-permanent members of the Security Council for two-year terms spanning 2020-2021.

The General Assembly, acting by acclamation today, elected Tijjani Muhammad Bande (Nigeria) today as President of its seventy-fourth session, as well as 20 Vice-Presidents.

The General Assembly recognized today the right of return of all internally displaced persons and refugees in Georgia and their descendants, regardless of ethnicity, to their homes throughout that country, including Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia.

While the global fight to defeat AIDS has produced remarkable progress over the past decade — with HIV infections among children and deaths from related illnesses among people of all ages nearly cut in half — greater efforts are needed to overcome one of history’s greatest health crises, delegates told the General Assembly today as they registered mixed results in reversing negative trends.

Following an unprecedented rise of violence against religious communities and people belonging to religious minorities, the General Assembly today adopted a resolution proclaiming 22 August as International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, among other matters.

The General Assembly adopted a resolution today welcoming a 25 February 2019 International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the legal consequences of separating the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965, demanding that the United Kingdom unconditionally withdraw its colonial administration from the area within six months.

The Peacebuilding Commission looks forward to a review of its work in 2020 by the General Assembly and the Security Council as an opportunity to take stock of progress made and to explore ways to strengthen the United Nations efforts in forging sustainable peace in places where conflict once reigned, the General Assembly heard today as it took up the Secretary-General’s annual reports on the Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund.

The General Assembly decided today to convene a high-level conference in Lisbon from 2 to 6 June 2020 that will focus on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

While the world needs multilateralism more than ever to address increasingly complex challenges, its institutions — including the United Nations — must embrace reforms in order to be effective and relevant, speakers said today as the General Assembly concluded its inaugural high-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.

Warning against unilateral moves, speakers called for reinvigorated multilateral responses to the contemporary challenges facing the international community, including climate change, geopolitical tensions, terrorism, poverty and inequalities, as the General Assembly today held a commemorative meeting observing the United Nations International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace.