General Assembly President Dennis Francis has described the opportunity to chair the UN’s main policy-making body as the honor of his life.
All 193 member states are part of the United Nations General Assembly. The veteran diplomat of Trinidad and Tobago made peace, prosperity, progress and stability the goals of his presidency.
His tenure began with the adoption of a landmark political declaration during the Sustainable Development Goals summit in September last year. The purpose of this declaration is to accelerate efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda.
In addition, high-level meetings were held on health-related issues: global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response; strengthening universal health coverage; and TB eradication. All these meetings ended with the passing of the political manifesto.
At the same time, through the High Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, there was widespread support for the need to reform the global financial system.
The UN General Assembly also celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in December 2023, with a ceremony for recipients of the UN Human Rights Prize.
Sustainability Week, Special Emergency Session
Also, the United Nations General Assembly organized the first Sustainability Week in April this year, focusing on issues such as tourism, transport, infrastructure, energy. At the same time, in an important event on debt sustainability, the concerns of countries facing specific situations were discussed.
This week, the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States was also a focus of discussion. The conference was held in Antigua and Barbuda in May. At the same time, preparations are also made for the summit to be held in New York in the next few days.
Denis Francis expressed his outrage over the violence and dire situation in the Middle East, saying the General Assembly had taken a bold step by deciding to reopen the 10th emergency session.
Under the resolution called ‘Solidarity for Peace’, the Security Council can convene an emergency special session within 24 hours if it fails to fulfill its responsibility to maintain international peace and security.
In this context, the UN General Assembly passed three important resolutions: first, ensuring the protection of civilians and fulfilling legal and humanitarian obligations. Second, demand the immediate implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages and access to humanitarian aid.
Third, to request the Security Council to determine the eligibility of the Palestinian state for UN membership and take appropriate decisions in this regard.