General Assembly Adopts Texts on Upcoming Migration Conference, Samoa Pathway Review, Universal Health Coverage

The General Assembly, in consensus action today, adopted two decisions and one resolution relating to upcoming high‑level meetings on global migration and universal health coverage, among other priority topics.

By the terms of a resolution titled, “Modalities for the Intergovernmental Conference to Adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration” (document A/72/L.67), the Assembly recommended a set of provisional rules of procedure — annexed to the present text — addressing issues ranging from the composition of delegations attending the conference to the election of its officers and its conduct of business.  It also recommended that the conference — to be convened in Rabat, Morocco in December 2018 — result in the adoption of an intergovernmental negotiated and agreed outcome, to be entitled “Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration”.

Adopting a decision titled, “High-level meetings of the General Assembly in September 2019” (document A/72/L.66), the organ transmitted to its seventy‑third session arrangements for the subsequent [seventy‑fourth] session’s general debate — to be held from Tuesday, 24 September, to Saturday, 28 September, and on Monday, 30 September 2019.  It also transmitted plans to convene a high‑level dialogue on financing for development of the General Assembly on 23 September 2019; a high‑level meeting to review progress made in addressing the priorities of small island developing States (SIDS) through the implementation of the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway on 27 September 2019; and a high‑level meeting on universal health coverage on 26 September 2019.

Regarding the latter, the Assembly also adopted a decision titled, “Scope, modalities, format and organization of the high‑level meeting on universal health coverage” (document A/72/L.65).  Detailed in the decision’s Annex were plans related to that meeting’s organizational arrangements, to be transmitted to the Assembly’s seventy‑third session for action.  By its terms, it decided that the high‑level meeting will approve a concise and action‑oriented political declaration — agreed in advance by consensus through intergovernmental negotiations — to be submitted by the President of the General Assembly for adoption by the organ.

The General Assembly will reconvene at a date and time to be announced.