75th UN General Assembly Marked Forward-Looking Declaration

The UN General Assembly adopted by consensus on Monday a forward-looking declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the world body that calls for strengthening mechanism to combat terrorism, reformed multilateralism, inclusive development and better preparedness to deal with challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The landmark 'Declaration on the Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations' was adopted at the high-level meeting of the 193-member Assembly to commemorate the milestone anniversary of the world body.

In the declaration, the Heads of State and Government vow to leave no one behind, protect the planet, promote peace and prevent conflicts, abide by international law and ensure justice, place women and girls at the centre, build trust, improve digital cooperation, upgrade the United Nations, ensure sustainable financing, boost partnerships, listen to and work with youth.

It is notable that India's priorities for its tenure as non-permanent member of the Security Council find "resonance" in the declaration that echoes New Delhi's call for strong mandate against terrorism, reformed multilateralism and inclusive development.

India played an active role during the negotiation process, working constructively with the President of General Assembly, co-Facilitators and like-minded Member States to ensure a "concise, substantive, forward-looking and unifying text".

The declaration, negotiated through an intergovernmental process, says that the next 10 years, which have been designated as the Decade of Action, will be the most critical of "our generation." It is even more important as nations build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic.

It calls for a strong UN development system and effective collaboration between the United Nations and the international financial institutions, with particular attention to people in vulnerable situations. It calls for immediately curbing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving sustainable consumption and production patterns in line with the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda.

UN Member States also underscored in the declaration that the UN must better address all forms and domains of threats.

"Terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism are serious threats to international peace and security," the declaration said, voicing full support to Secretary-General's initiative for a global ceasefire.

The member states agreed that conflicts will not be resolved, and sustainable development not occur, without the equal and active participation of women at all levels. "We will accelerate action to achieve gender equality, women's participation, and the empowerment of women and girls in all domains." Condemning acts of xenophobia, racism, intolerance, hate speech and disinformation, world leaders vowed in the declaration that they will address the root causes of inequalities, including violence, human rights abuses, corruption, marginalization, discrimination in all its forms, poverty and exclusion, as well as lack of education and employment.