Office of the President of the General Assembly, United Nations

President of the General Assembly H.E Philemon Yang is convening a High-level meeting to mark the closure of the International Decade.

UNU-CPR Director David Passarelli and Head of Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace Erica Gaston had the privilege of meeting with H. E. Philemon Yang, President of the General Assembly at its 79th Session. The discussion centred on "Assembly for Peace", a handbook that aims to enhance the UN General Assembly's engagement in peace and security efforts, produced by UNU-CPR for the Office of the President of the General Assembly, United Nations. Amid rising geopolitical tensions and increased paralysis in the Security Council, the General Assembly’s role in peace and security has gained renewed attention. The Handbook offers a review of the Assembly's past practice, case studies of some of the most important examples of General Assembly action, and recommendations on how Member States could foster deeper interaction with the Security Council in the future. Access "Assembly for Peace" here: https://lnkd.in/e_6mEsfg The discussion also addressed the revitalization agenda of the General Assembly and ongoing debates on reforming the international financial architecture.

H.E Philemon Yang on UNRWA

Ten years ago, the General Assembly proclaimed the International Decade for People of African Descent, to be observed from 2015 to 2024 with the theme “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development” (A/RES/68/237) and subsequently adopted its programme of activities (A/RES/69/16). As featured in the programme of activities, the International Decade was “a unique opportunity to underline the important contribution made by people of African descent to our societies and to propose concrete measures to promote their full inclusion and to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”. Over the past ten years, the International Decade for people of African Descent has provided a framework to foster action by States, international and regional organizations, national human rights bodies, and non-governmental organizations, including of people of African descent. The high-level meeting will be an opportunity to: • Take stock of the progress and steps taken in the implementation of the programme of activities of the International Decade during the period 2015-2024; • Identify continuing and emerging challenges, in the protection and promotion of the human rights of people of African descent worldwide; • Identify recommendations on further steps to be taken in order to strengthen the protection and promotion of the human rights of people of African descent globally beyond 2024, including through the proclamation of a Second International Decade for People of African Descent and strengthening the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, and relevant recommendations by the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN anti-racism mechanisms, and other relevant stakeholders. The high-level meeting will take place in-person on 8 November 2024, from 10 a.m.to 1p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. in the ECOSOC Chamber at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

 The Human Rights Council consist of forty-seven Member States, which shall be elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly. In accordance with paragraph 7 of General Assembly resolution 60/251 the Council shall consist of 47 Member States, which shall be elected directly and individually by secret ballot by the majority of the members of the General Assembly. The membership shall be based on equitable geographical distribution, and seats shall be distributed as follows among regional groups: Group of African States (13) Group of Asia-Pacific States (13) Group of Eastern European States (6) Group of Latin American and Caribbean States (8) Group of Western European and other States (7) Last year On 10 October 2023, the 78th UN General Assembly elected the following 15 members for the term 2024-2026: Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, China, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, France, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Malawi, Netherlands (Kingdom of the) that will serve for a period of three years, starting in January 2024. As of January 2024, 124 of the 193 UN member States will have served as a member of the HRC. This broad membership not only reflects the UN’s diversity, but it gives the Council legitimacy when speaking out on human rights violations in all countries. This year the General Assembly elected 18 Member States to serve on the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term. Benin Plurinational State of Bolivia Colombia Cyprus Czechia Democratic Rep. of Congo Ethiopia Gambia Iceland Kenya Marshall Islands Mexico North Macedonia Qatar Rep. of Korea Spain Switzerland Thailand More on HRC Elections 2024: https://lnkd.in/e2sSh_aQ More on Human Rights Council: https://lnkd.in/dxHamURz General Assembly resolution 60/251: https://lnkd.in/eEqHRgHm

Achieving global nuclear disarmament is the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations. It was the subject of the General Assembly’s first resolution in 1946, which established the Atomic Energy Commission (dissolved in 1952), with a mandate to make specific proposals for the control of nuclear energy and the elimination of atomic weapons and all other major weapons adaptable to mass destruction. The high-level plenary meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of nuclear weapons, will be held on Thursday, 26 September 2024, at 9:30 a.m., in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York. Watch Live:

Pursuant to the General Assembly decision 78/544 of 16 January 2024 and General Assembly resolution 78/319 of 1 August 2024, the President of the UN General Assembly will convene a high-level plenary meeting on Addressing the existential threats posed by sea-level rise on 25 September 2024, during the High-Level Week of the 79th session of the General Assembly. The overall theme of the high-level meeting will be “Addressing the threats posed by sea-level rise”. Taking place on the heels of the Summit of the Future, the high-level meeting will focus on building common understanding, mobilizing political leadership, and promoting multisectoral, multi-stakeholder collaboration and international cooperation towards addressing the threats posed by sea-level rise. It aims to deliver action-oriented solutions for affected States and frontline communities as well and will be a significant step forward for enhancing action on sea-level rise.

The High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) under the theme ‘Investing in the present and securing our future together: accelerating multisectoral global, regional and national actions to address antimicrobial resistance’ will be convened by the President of the General Assembly on 26 September 2024 at United Nations Headquarters in New York, in accordance with resolution A/RES/76/257. Find More Information and Program: https://lnkd.in/eDJFYwt2 Watch Live: https://lnkd.in/eF57Tm_y

The general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly will open on Tuesday, 24 September, continue through Saturday, 28 September, and conclude on Monday, 30 September 2024. The theme for the general debate of the 79th session of the General Assembly is “Leaving no one behind: acting together for the advancement of peace, sustainable development and human dignity for present and future generations”. His Excellency Philemon Yang, President of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly will open the General Debate in GA Hall on 24th September 2024, at 9 am. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, will introduce the annual report (A/79/1) on the activities of the Organization at the opening of the general debate. More Information Here: https://lnkd.in/exEVAqd7 https://lnkd.in/eh2_K_AZ

Let's Welcome Sharon Birch-Allegro, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly H.E. Philemon Yang at its 79th Session. She will be holding her first briefing to the United Nations Correspondents today at noon briefing (12:00pm): Watch Here on UN Web TV: https://lnkd.in/eY94YudG Transcript: