Plenary

The General Assembly adopted on 18 June a resolution on peacekeeping operations and a decision extending its “silence procedure” through July, allowing it to continue its work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Assembly, acting through its temporary silence procedure amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, adopted a resolution deciding to hold a special session in April 2021 on challenges and measures to prevent and combat corruption.

The General Assembly proclaimed 9 September the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, adopting a resolution that reaffirms the right to education for all and the importance of ensuring safe, enabling learning environments in humanitarian emergencies.

The General Assembly adopted seven resolutions and 13 decisions since 27 March amid the coronavirus pandemic, including one adjusting its work methods and two others calling for intensified international cooperation to contain, mitigate and defeat COVID-19 and for Member States and stakeholders to take steps to prevent speculation and undue stockpiling that may hinder access to required equipment to address the spread of the virus.

The General Assembly today encouraged further strengthening the global diamond certification scheme known as the Kimberley Process to make it more effective and to ensure that it remains relevant in the future while also contributing to international peace and security and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The General Assembly paid tribute today to Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who led Oman for nearly half a century and passed away on 10 January at age 79, with Secretary-General António Guterres praising him as a leader who prioritized cooperation and multilateralism, earning the respect of his people and those far beyond.

With a new decade dawning and the United Nations marking its seventy-fifth anniversary, Secretary-General António Guterres warned the General Assembly today that 2020 is also beginning in the midst of four existential threats — surging geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, dangerous technology and deepening mistrust — against which the international community must mobilize rapidly.

Concluding the main part of its seventy-fourth session, the General Assembly adopted 22 resolutions and one decision recommended by its main Committees, including a $3.07 billion regular budget for the Secretariat in 2020, some $200 million more than the amount requested by the Secretary-General.

As waning multilateralism and burgeoning inequalities threaten to side-track the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the General Assembly today adopted 47 resolutions and four related decisions aimed at bolstering nation’s efforts to reach agreed goals.