UNITED NATIONS: The President of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly Philemon Yang briefed member states on his priorities in the UN General Assembly Hall in New York stressing the need for collective action to address pressing global challenges.
Referring to the pact for the future adopted in September 2024, President Yang stated that member states have now assumed the collective responsibility of safeguarding the needs and interests of both present and future generations.
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the main policy-making organ of the United Nations.
Comprising all 193 Member States, it is the most representative organ of the organization, and it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the United Nations Charter.
Different to other UN principal organs, each of the Member States of the United Nations has an equal vote in the General Assembly.
During the UN General Assembly this week, The President of the UN General Assembly also welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas and said that end of the war in Gaza has been long overdue.
He commends Qatar, the United States and Egypt for brokering the ceasefire agreement. He calls on all parties to fully respect and implement the terms of the agreement.
The President of the UN General Assembly stressed that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be resolved through endless violence and occupation. The international community must take meaningful action towards the realization of a two-State solution in accordance with international law, the UN Charter and relevant UN resolutions.
In this regard, the President of the UN General Assembly underscored the importance of the high-level international conference for the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution, which will take place in June 2025.
At the annual event for the chairmanship handover of the Group of 77 and China, the President of the UN General Assembly stated that as the largest bloc within the United Nations, the Group of 77 and China holds a unique responsibility to shape multilateral outcomes.
A Briefing on the outcome of the 21st replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association was also taken place. The President of the UN General Assembly expressed his confidence that together, we will translate the commitments contained in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the pact for the future into meaningful action in the countries where the people need it most.
Intergovernmental consultations on the declaration for the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference also took place on Friday 17 January. The co-facilitators, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cabo Verde to the United Nations, Tania Romualdo and the Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations, James Martin Larsen, presented the text of the zero-draft declaration.
Intergovernmental consultations on the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance also took place on Friday 17 January.
Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations Martiza Chan Valverde, and Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, Hector Gomez Hernandez, the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process to identify the terms of reference and modalities for the establishment and functioning of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, held informal consultations to outline the way forward.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres briefed member states on his priorities on 15 January in the UN General Assembly Hall in New York, stressing that we must never lose sight of progress and potential.
Intergovernmental consultations on the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance also took place on Friday 17 January.
Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations Martiza Chan Valverde, and Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations Hector Gomez Hernandez, the co-facilitators of the intergovernmental process to identify the terms of reference and modalities for the establishment and functioning of the Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, held informal consultations to outline the way forward.
