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54th Plenary Meeting - General Assembly 75th Session
Speakers Also Debate Situation in Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine
The General Assembly decided today to convene a high-level meeting from 8 to 10 June to take stock of global efforts to end the HIV/AIDS crisis by 2030, adopting a draft resolution to that effect after a lengthy debate on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
Adopting “Organization of the 2021 high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS” (document A/75/L.59), as amended, by a recorded vote of 139 in favour to none against, with 5 abstentions (Algeria, Egypt, Madagascar, Russian Federation, Syria), the Assembly also requested its President to organize, no later than April, an interactive multi-stakeholder hearing with the active participation of people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV.
The high-level meeting — to be held in either a virtual or hybrid format on the basis of an assessment of health conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic — will be the fourth of its kind since the Assembly adopted its Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS (document A/RES/S-26/2) in 2001. The previous meetings took place in 2006, 2011 and 2016.
By the terms of today’s resolution, the high-level meeting will undertake a comprehensive review of progress made in the 2016 Political Declaration towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 and how the response is contributing to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Prior to adoption, the Assembly, by a recorded vote of a vote of 77 in favour to 40 against, with 21 abstentions, approved an amendment — introduced by the United Kingdom’s representative — that will have the world body make a final decision on participation in the high-level meeting.
Another draft amendment and two proposed oral amendments, put forward by the Russian Federation’s representative, were rejected by recorded votes, amid a debate over whether the main text should retain a reference to “key populations” in the operative paragraph dealing with the interactive multi-stakeholder hearing.
Speakers from 30 Member States, as well as the European Union delegation, participated in the debate on Ukraine, seven years after conflict erupted in the eastern Donbas region and after the Russian Federation annexed Crimea following a referendum on its political status.
Many representatives took the floor to underscore their countries’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. They urged full compliance with the Minsk agreements aimed at restoring peace in Donbas, unfettered access for humanitarian workers and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission, and a halt to human rights abuses. They also warned that Crimea’s militarization threatens security in the Black Sea region.
Ukraine’s representative said that through joint efforts, the international community can not only restore his country’s territorial integrity, but also strengthen the authority of international law and return peace and stability to Europe. Sovereign control of Ukraine over its State borders should be renewed, he said, adding that United Nations peacekeepers could be deployed in a monitoring role. “It is often said that history is written in ink; luckily the Russian occupation laws are written in pencil and will be erased,” he said.
The Russian Federation’s delegate countered that the Ukrainian authorities, eagerly assisted by Western countries, are exploiting baseless allegations to ensure their own survival. Some believe the tale of Russian aggression, but sooner or later, the inconvenient truth about the 2014 Maidan protests in Independence Square in Kyiv will emerge, he said. Debates such as the one today will only alienate prospects for a settlement, he said, adding that Ukraine’s problems are its own responsibility — and that the sooner Kyiv understands that, the better.
In other business, the Assembly, taking up the draft decision titled “2021 United Nations Population Award” (document A/75/L.58), decided — without a vote — to extend the deadline for the submission of nominations for the Award to 22 March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The deadline typically falls on the last day of the year prior to the year for which nominations are considered.
Also speaking today were representative of Finland (on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic States), Canada (also on behalf of Australia and New Zealand), Slovakia, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, France, Poland, Croatia, Costa Rica, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Bulgaria, United States, Netherlands, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Belarus, Turkey, Belgium, Azerbaijan, Syria, Georgia, Venezuela and the Republic of Moldova.
The General Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m., on 3 March, to take action on several draft resolutions, including one on the role of diamonds in fuelling conflict.
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