Seventy-first session of the United Nations General Assembly: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}

{{Infobox summit meeting

| name = Seventy-first Session of the United Nations General Assembly

| other_titles =

| logo =

| logo_alt =

| image = Peter Thomson January 2015.jpg

| alt =

| caption = President of the 71st General Assembly <br /> [[Peter Thomson (diplomat)|Peter Thomson]]

| country = {{flag|United Nations}}

| date = 13 September 2016 – 12 September 2017

| motto =

| venues = [[United Nations General Assembly Hall|General Assembly Hall]] at the [[United Nations Headquarters]]

| cities = [[New York City]]

| participants = [[Member states of the United Nations]]

| chairperson =

| follows = [[Seventieth session of the United Nations General Assembly|70th]]

| precedes = [[Seventy-second session of the United Nations General Assembly|72nd]]

| website = [http://www.un.org/en/ga/71/ www.un.org/en/ga/]

| keypoints =

| compactnav = yes

The '''Seventy-first Session of the United Nations General Assembly'''<!--official languages needed--> opened on 13 September 2016.<ref name="open">{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/INF/67/1 |title=United Nations Official Document |publisher=United Nations |access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref> The [[President of the United Nations General Assembly|President of]] the [[United Nations General Assembly]] is from the [[Asia-Pacific Group]].

Fijian Ambassador [[Peter Thomson (diplomat)|Peter Thomson]] was [[United Nations General Assembly presidential election, 2016|chosen]] over Cypriot [[Andreas Mavroyiannis]] to preside over the assembly<ref name="onlinetyari">{{cite web|url=https://onlinetyari.com/latest-news-articles/fijian-diplomat-peter-thompson-elected-president-i10145.html|title=Fijian Diplomat Peter Thompson elected president of U.N General Assembly|publisher=onlinetyari.com|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref> in a year that includes the election of a new [[secretary-general of the United Nations]]. Fiji's Foreign Minister Ratu [[Inoke Kubuabola]] that the country sought a platform to achieve [[sustainable development]] that would be called the [[Triennial UN Conferences on Oceans and Seas]].<ref name="fijione">{{cite web|url=http://fijione.tv/peter-thompson-nominated-for-unga-presidency/|title=Peter Thompson nominated for UNGA presidency|publisher=fijione.tv|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>

As is tradition during each session of the [[General Assembly]], Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] will draw lots to see which member state would take the helm at the first seat in the General Assembly Chamber, with the other member states following according to the English translation of their name, the same order would be followed in the six main committees.<ref name="data">{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/5028f5129.pdf|title=63rd Session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme, Geneva, 1 - 5 October 2012 |publisher=United Nations High Commission for Refugees |access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref> <!--For this session, Tuvalu was drawn to take up the first seat in the chamber.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/ga/ |title=General Assembly of the United Nations |publisher=United Nations |date=6 September 2000 |access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref>-->

The [[Chairmen]] and officers of the General Assembly's six Main Committees will also be elected: [[United Nations General Assembly First Committee|First Committee (Disarmament and International Security Committee)]]; [[United Nations General Assembly Second Committee|Second Committee (Economic and Financial Committee)]]; [[United Nations General Assembly Third Committee|Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee)]]; [[United Nations General Assembly Fourth Committee|Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization Committee)]]; [[United Nations General Assembly Fifth Committee|Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary Committee)]]; and the

[[United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee|Sixth Committee (Legal Committee)]].

There will also be nineteen vice-presidents of the UNGA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afghanistan-un.org/2012/06/un-general-assembly-elects-new-president-and-vice-presidents/ |title=UN General Assembly Elects New President and Vice-Presidents |publisher=Afghanistan-un.org |date=8 June 2012 |access-date=2 October 2015}}</ref> Nepal was one of them from the Asia-Pacific Group.<ref name="nep">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsx.com/world/32384-nepal-elected-unga-vice-president-from-asia-pacific|title=Nepal elected UNGA vice-president from Asia-Pacific|publisher=newsx.com|access-date=15 August 2016}}</ref>

Most states will have a representative speaking about issues concerning their country{{citation needed|date=February 2020}} and the hopes for the coming year as to what the UNGA will do. This is an opportunity for the member states to opine on international issues of their concern. The General Debate will occur from September–October, with the exception of the intervening Sunday.

The order of speakers is given first to member states, then observer states and supranational bodies. Any other observers entities will have a chance to speak at the end of the debate, if they so choose. Speakers will be put on the list in the order of their request, with special consideration for ministers and other government officials of similar or higher rank. According to the rules in place for the General Debate, the statements should be in one of the United Nations official languages of [[Arabic]], Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish, and will be translated by the [[United Nations translators]]. Each speaker is requested to provide 20 advance copies of their statements to the conference officers to facilitate translation and to be presented at the podium. Speeches are requested to be limited to five minutes, with seven minutes for supranational bodies.<ref name="data"/> President Peter Thomson chose the theme of the debate as "The [[Sustainable Development Goals]]: a {{sic}} universal push to transform our world."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gadebate.un.org/generaldebate75/en/ |title=General Debate of the 75th Session |date= September 2020 |publisher=[[United Nations General Assembly]] |website=gadebate.un.org}} {{dead link|date=October 2022}}</ref>

The Summit for Refugees and Migrants opened on 19 September along the sidelines of the General Debate in response to the [[European migrant crisis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/summit|title = UN Summit for Refugees and Migrants 2016|date = 12 December 2014}}</ref>

Resolutions came before the UNGA between October 2016 and summer 2017.

The 55th meeting of the 3rd Committee during the session passed a resolution calling 2019 the "International Year of indigenous Languages" and called upon [[UNESCO]] to "serve as the lead agency for the Year."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco-liaison-office-in-new-york/about-this-office/single-view/news/united_nations_general_assembly_proclaims_2019_as_the_intern/|title=New York|date=27 August 2019}}</ref>

The [[United Nations Security Council election, 2017|election of non-permanent members]] to the [[United Nations Security Council|Security Council]] for 2018–2019 was held on 2 June 2017, in which Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Peru and Poland were elected<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2017/ga11920.doc.htm|title=General Assembly Elects Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Peru, Poland as Non-Permanent Members of Security Council for 2018-2019 {{!}} Meetings Coverage and Press Releases|date=2 June 2016|publisher=United Nations|access-date=3 June 2016}}</ref>tofill seats that will be vacated by Egypt, Senegal, Uruguay, Japan and Ukraine on 31 December 2017. Newly-elected countries will take their seats on 1 January 2018.

A new [[Secretary-General]], [[António Guterres]], was [[United Nations Secretary-General election, 2016|chosen]] on 6 October 2016 and assumed office on 1 January 2017.

*[https://www.un.org/en/ga/president/71/ President of the 71st General Assembly] [[Peter Thomson (diplomat)|Peter Thomson]]

*[https://www.un.org/en/ga/71/agenda/index.shtml Agenda for the 71st General Assembly]