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50th Plenary Meeting of General Assembly 74th Session
The General Assembly proclaimed 2022‑2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages today, inviting indigenous peoples — as custodians — to initiate ideas for preserving this endangered facet of their cultural and social life, as it adopted 60 resolutions and one decision recommended by its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).
Covering a range of issues — from the rights of children, women and older persons to questions of justice, fairness and equality under international law — the Assembly adopted most resolutions without a vote. Women and girls were the focus of several, directly or indirectly, including one designating 18 September as International Equal Pay Day, to be observed annually beginning in 2020. Gender equality has been held back due to the persistence of unequal power relations, the Assembly recognized, and work traditionally held by women undervalued.
Similarly, a consensus resolution on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation called on States to ensure access to equitable sanitation and hygiene for all women and girls, and to address the shame surrounding menstruation and menstrual hygiene. A resolution on the girl child likewise pressed States to foster a culture in which menstruation is recognized as healthy and natural, and girls are not stigmatized on this basis, while another consensus text on the situation of women and girls in rural areas urged States to improve women’s health through legislation providing them access to land.
The broad theme of migration also surfaced, as did differences around ways to handle migratory flows — notably seen in the Assembly’s passage of its annual resolution on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) by a recorded vote of 179 in favour, to 2 against (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syria), with 5 abstentions (Eritrea, Hungary, Iran, Libya, Poland). By its terms, the Assembly urged States party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol to respect their obligations, and called on States that have not yet contributed to burden‑sharing to do so.
Denmark’s representative, whose delegation facilitated negotiation of the text on behalf of the Nordic countries, lamented that a Member State had requested a vote, disrupting years of consensus. The text is a humanitarian one and non‑political in nature, she assured.
Hungary’s representative took a different view, arguing that the Global Compact for Refugees cited in the resolution encourages people to move away from home, violating international law. He strongly rejected the notion that solidarity means welcoming migrants within one’s borders. He likewise said the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration — cited in a resolution on violence against women migrant workers, among others, which encourages States to offer better protections — does not take the right approach. It portrays migration as “the best thing that ever happened to humanity”, supporting smugglers who earn millions of dollars exploiting people, especially women.
On questions of social development, the Assembly decided to hold a high‑level meeting commemorating the twenty‑fifth anniversary of the World Summit on Social Development, within existing resources, at its seventy‑fifth session in 2020 and request the Assembly President to conduct consultations to determine the relevant modalities. The resolution passed by a recorded vote of 186 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with no abstentions.
It also adopted a resolution on follow‑up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing, calling on Member States to ensure that a host of services respond to the needs of older persons: affordable serviced land, housing, modern and renewable energy, safe drinking water and sanitation, waste disposal and health care, among them.
The Assembly deferred action on draft resolutions related to the human rights situation in Myanmar, and on countering the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) for criminal purposes.
Also speaking today were representatives of Finland (on behalf of the European Union), Chile, Venezuela, Burundi, Philippines, Russian Federation, Canada, United States, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Iran, Ukraine, China, Turkey, Cuba and Syria.
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