TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
The lingering hope for 76th session of the UNGA: What can be done?
In UNGA 76, many member states will no longer accept the emergency state of the UN. They will likely demand a recovered, thriving and reopened UN.
Change Size
Voice of Indonesia: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo addresses the general debate of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22, 2020. The event was held via video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (United Nations/AFP/Loey Felipe)
T
he United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) will officially start its new session in two weeks under new leadership. On June 7, Abdulla Shahid from Maldives was elected the president of the 76th session of the UNGA (PGA 76). On the flip side, on the very next day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from Portugal won reelection and will lead the world body until 2027.
The UN has passed its sacred 75 years. Many plans that were made to mark this anniversary have been impacted by COVID-19. The pandemic redrew the epic story of what should have been a celebratory 75th session of the UN. The session prompted member states to adopt unprecedented working methods, as global leaders mainly focused their agenda on addressing the worst global health crisis in a century. Meanwhile other pressing issues, ranging from imminent conflicts and poverty to human rights and threats to environment are still waiting at the corner.
The UNGA 75 tried its best to set foundations and address fundamental problems caused by the global health crisis. It created pandemic-situated negotiation modalities, COVID-19-related resolutions and addressed major human rights conflicts in more than one region. One of the most important resolutions adopted was the “United response against global health threats: combating COVID-19”. It recognized the essential role of the UN as the body that can effectively bring together a global response to control and contain the spread of COVID-19.
Volkan Bozkir, the PGA 75, will be remembered for his perseverance protecting the cradle of multilateralism in the UN at the worst possible time, almost unscathed. Under his leadership, the UNGA successfully held the Special Session of the General Assembly in Response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic that provided opportunities for member states and the international community to assess and hone their collective response to the pandemic.
Also, during the UNGA 75, the heads of state and government representing the peoples of the world, adopted the Declaration on the Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations that highlighted the need to strengthen international cooperation, as this is in the interest of both nations and peoples. The declaration also acknowledged that the three pillars of the UN -- peace and security, development, and human rights – are equally important, interrelated and interdependent.
In the UNGA 76, many member states will no longer accept the emergency state of the UN. They will likely demand a recovered, thriving and reopened UN. This month’s High Level Week (HLW) will be a litmus test of the PGA 76’s leadership and policy. Member states will review whether the presidency has got the right mixture between safety and the new normal in the way UN presents multilateralism in the post-COVID-19 era.
Hope is the closest emotion that member states can express to the new presidential administration and the veteran managerial acumen of the incumbent secretary-general. The way the PGA 76 and secretary-general address these hopes will be one of the benchmarks on how their leadership will be valued.
