Plenary

The General Assembly today elected by acclamation Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago) to serve as President of its seventy-eighth session, after which its six Main Committees elected their respective Bureaus.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the election of the President of the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly, in New York today:

Stressing the urgency of managing the risks of natural and man-made disasters to protect future generations, the General Assembly today resumed its review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 after adopting three resolutions that will deliver nearly $15 million to the special accounts of three peacekeeping missions.

With only seven years left to implement a landmark 2015 agreement to reduce damage, losses and death from natural and man-made disasters by the 2030 target date, the General Assembly today reaffirmed its commitment to address disaster risk reduction and resilience-building with a renewed sense of urgency in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Following its consideration of the zone of peace, trust and cooperation of Central Asia, the General Assembly today adopted four consensus resolutions — one calling for scaled-up efforts on the United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025), one declaring 26 November as World Sustainable Transport Day, one recognizing the importance of community-based health services and one requesting continued cooperation on the legacy of the Chernobyl disaster.

Prior to adopting three draft resolutions tackling infrastructure connectivity, voluntary national reviews and cooperation with the Council of Europe, the General Assembly held its first ever formal debate on the use of the veto in the Security Council, with speakers deliberating the impact of the new transparency and accountability mechanism — enabled by resolution 76/262 — and its role in enhancing the General Assembly’s functions while achieving legitimacy in the use of the veto.

Briefing the General Assembly today, the Head of the Mechanism established to advance justice in Syria reported on that body’s continuing efforts over the past year, detailing its work with jurisdictions and investigations, but noting in light of increasing demand for its services that predictable financing through the regular budget and voluntary contributions by Member States are essential for it to continue serving the interests of victims, survivors and their families.

The General Assembly adopted today by consensus three decisions and five resolutions, including resolution the Fifth Committee’s (Administrative and Budgetary) first comprehensive resolution on human resources management in more than six years.

​​​​​​​Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly on the request for an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect of climate change, in New York today:

The General Assembly today adopted by consensus a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the obligations of States in respect of climate change, with most speakers hailing the move as a milestone in their decades-long struggle for climate justice. The Assembly also adopted a resolution on the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict.