Pledging to support an Africa that was stable, prosperous and at peace with itself, speakers today warned the General Assembly that poor infrastructure and trade barriers still hampered the continent’s development, while challenges such as “brain drain” and terrorism threatened to reverse significant gains made since the turn of the millennium.
On the heels of what had been hailed as a historically transparent and inclusive selection process, the General Assembly this morning, for the ninth time since 1946, chose its next Secretary-General, appointing by acclamation António Guterres of Portugal for a five-year term starting 1 January 2017.
The Economic and Social Council, over the course of 2016, had focused on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’s early implementation while also tackling emerging threats such as the Zika virus, El Niño and widening global inequality, the General Assembly heard today as it took note of the 54-member organ’s latest annual report.
In a meeting on revitalizing the work of the General Assembly, representatives of the 193-member body this morning debated various ways to make the United Nations system more efficient, inclusive and accountable.
Acting by consensus this morning, the General Assembly adopted a political declaration aimed at combating the global threats posed by antimicrobial resistance, which could include significant development backslides and millions of deaths each year if unaddressed.
The General Assembly today decided to allow four nations in arrears — Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia and Sao Tome and Principe — to vote in the 193‑member body until the end of its seventy-first session, recognizing that their failure to pay the minimum amount was caused by conditions beyond their control.
Spotlighting examples of persistent inequality around the globe – from skewed banking practices to entrenched poverty to lingering systemic racism – world leaders participating in the final day of the General Assembly’s seventy-first annual debate nevertheless expressed optimism that efforts to promote equitable growth, peace and prosperity would prevail.
While the United Nations had been founded on the belief that States could solve problems collectively, the time had come to move in a new direction, the General Assembly heard today, as speakers underlined the need to embrace a new era of engagement based on common needs, innovative ideas and mutual respect.
With 65 million people displaced and on the move, several European countries discussed myriad ways to deal with the unprecedented phenomenon by defeating terrorism, bringing human traffickers to justice, while others called on Member States to make the better choice between engagement and isolation as the General Assembly continued its annual debate today.
The General Assembly moved into day three of its general debate today with a push to elevate the Palestinian legal and political leadership in the world body so as to allow for their chairing of committees and international groups, the ability to sponsor resolutions, and to proclaim 2017 as the International Year to end the Israeli Occupation.
