Plenary

While the world is tantalizingly close to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, the risk of backsliding is great due to shortfalls in funding, lack of political will and intersecting inequalities, the General Assembly heard today.

The General Assembly elected a total of 20 new members to the Economic and Social Council today who will begin their terms on 1 January 2026.

The General Assembly today elected Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia as non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning on 1 January 2026.

In Nigeria, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and humanitarian partners continue to support the response to the devastating floods in the north-central part of the country. More than 500 households were impacted and over 3,000 people displaced.

Pledging to serve the international community as “an honest broker and unifier”, Annalena Baerbock of Germany was elected as President of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly — the fifth woman to serve in that post in 80 years.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks on the election of the President of the eightieth session of the General Assembly, in New York today:

The Security Council today adopted the draft of its annual report to the General Assembly, which covers the 15-nation organ’s work from 1 January to 31 December 2024.

Member States clashed over how to manage civil society participation in the upcoming high-level meeting on the thirtieth anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth, as the General Assembly convened today to take action on a range of matters.

Marking the eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, speakers in the General Assembly today paid solemn tribute to the millions who gave their lives in defense of “freedoms too often taken for granted” and underscored the urgent need to recommit to multilateralism, as conflicts continue to rage from the Middle East to Ukraine.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly event in commemoration of His Holiness Pope Francis, in New York today: