General Assembly

On 31 May 2017, the United Nations General Assembly elected Miroslav Lajčák of Slovakia President of its seventy-second session, which runs from September 2017 to September 2018 (Press Release GA/11915).

Local governments, civil society groups and others working to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — including its targets related to urbanization — required United Nations support underpinned by a “spirit of inclusiveness and a universality of purpose”, the General Assembly heard today, as it concluded its high-level meeting on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

With two third of the world’s population projected to live in cities in the next 30 years, the fate of humanity hinged on how Governments addressed the “megatrend” of urbanization, the General Assembly heard today, as it convened a high-level meeting to discuss the implementation of the New Urban Agenda agreed by Member States in 2016.

To cheers and sustained applause, the Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons completed its work today, adopting a Treaty that would ban such weapons of mass destruction with a view to their total elimination.

The draft treaty scheduled for adoption on 7 July would create a pathway for the elimination of the only weapon of mass destruction not yet subject to a global ban, members of civil society told the Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons today.

The Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to ban nuclear weapons decided to retain the entire revised draft treaty (document A/CONF.229/2017/L.3) today, ahead of the text’s scheduled adoption on 7 July.

The Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument with a view to prohibiting nuclear weapons resumed today, considering a newly revised draft treaty due to be sent to capitals for final approval.

Briefly resuming its discussion today, the Conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons approved a revised indicative timetable for the week of 3‑7 July (document A/CONF.229/2017/3/Add.3) and heard reports on progress made in the ongoing negotiations.

The United Nations Conference negotiating a legally binding instrument to prohibit and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons began closed working sessions today on the revised draft convention (document A/CONF.229/2017/CRP.1/REV.1).

Education was the key for achieving all 17 Goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but realizing that Goal’s full potential would require increased financing, smarter use of technological innovations and greater access to learning opportunities, especially for women and girls, speakers told the high-level General Assembly event on education today.