Forty-Second Session of the General Assembly

The General Assembly opened its forty-second regular session at UN Headquarters on the afternoon of 15 September. (Opening day is known as the International Peace Day.) The 159-Member Assembly elected Peter Florin, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the German Democratic Republic, as President of the current session. Some 140 items are included in this year's provisional agenda. During the 36th plenary meeting on 13 October, the representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, in his capacity as Chairman of the Group of Arab States, introduced an amendment to the draft resolution contained in paragraph 21 of the Credentials Committee report. The representative of Finland (on behalf of the Nordic countries), moved on a point of order that no action be taken with respect to the amendment.
The General Assembly adopted the motion by Finland by a vote of 80 in favour to 39 against with 10 abstentions. At the podium are (left to right) Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar; Assembly President Peter Florin and Joseph V. Reed, Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs.