Seventy-second_session_of_the_United_Nations_General_Assembly
The Seventy-second Session of the United Nations General Assembly opened on 12 September 2017. The President of the United Nations General Assembly was from the Eastern European Group.
| Seventy-second Session of the United Nations General Assembly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
President of the 72nd General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak | ||||
| Host country |  United Nations | |||
| Venue(s) | General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters | |||
| Cities | New York City | |||
| Participants | Member States of the United Nations | |||
| Website | www.un.org/en/ga/ | |||
President
Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak was elected as President of the General Assembly on 31 May 2017.[1][2]
Vice-presidents
There were twenty-one Vice-Presidents for the 72nd Session. They were:[2]
The five permanent members of the Security Council:
China
France
Russian Federation
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United States of America
As well as the following nations:
Committee bureaus
The following were elected as Chairs and officers of the General Assembly committees for the 73rd Session:
First Committee (Disarmament and International Security)[3]
| Name | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| H.E. Mr. Mohammad Hussein Ali Bahr Aluloom |  Iraq | Chairperson |
| Mr. Georg Sparber |  Liechtenstein | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Terje Raadik |  Estonia | Vice-Chair |
| Mr. Alfredo Toro Carnevalli |  Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Martin Ngundze |  South Africa | Rapporteur |
Second Committee (Economic and Financial)[4]
| Name | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| H.E. Mr. Sven Jürgenson | Estonia | Chairperson |
| Mr. Menelaos Menelaou |  Cyprus | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Kimberly Louis |  Saint Lucia | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Cristiana Mele |  Italy | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Theresah Chipulu Luswili Chanda |  Zambia | Rapporteur |
Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural)[5]
| Name | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| H.E. Mr. Einar Gunnarsson |  Iceland | Chairperson |
| Mr. Nebil Idris |  Eritrea | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Alanoud Qassim M. A. Al-Temimi |  Qatar | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Dóra Kaszás |  Hungary | Vice-Chair |
| Mr. Edgar Andrés Molina Linares |  Guatemala | Rapporteur |
Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization)[6]
| Name | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| H.E. Mr. Rafael Darió Ramírez Carreño |  Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | Chairperson |
| Mr. Yasser Halfouni |  Morocco | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Ceren Hande Őzgür |  Turkey | Vice-Chair |
| Mr. Ahmed Abdelrahman Ahmed Almahmoud |  United Arab Emirates | Vice-Chair |
| Mr. Angel Angelov |  Bulgaria | Rapporteur |
Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary)[7]
| Name | Country | Position |
|---|---|---|
| H.E. Mr. Tommo Monthe |  Cameroon | Chairperson |
| Mr. Abbas Yazdani (Sep 2017 - 22 Mar 2018) |  Iran (Islamic Republic of) | Vice-Chair |
| Mr. Haseeb Zohar (7 May 2018 - 18 September 2018) |  Pakistan | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Julie O'Brien |  Ireland | Vice-Chair |
| Ms. Anda Grinberga |  Latvia | Vice-Chair |
| Mr. Felipe Garcia Landa |  Mexico | Rapporteur |
.jpg){kind=link}
Seat allocation
As is tradition before each session of the General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres drew lots to see which Member State would occupy the first seat in the General Assembly Hall for the session, with the other Member States following according to the English translation of their name. The same order is followed in the six main committees.[9] For this session the Czech Republic was chosen to take the first seat of the General Assembly Chamber.[1]
General debate
Most states had a representative speak about issues concerning their country and the hopes for the coming year regarding the actions of the General Assembly. The general debate serves as an opportunity for Member States to declare which international issues are most pressing to them. The General Debate occurred from 19–25 September 2017, with the exception of the intervening Sunday.[10]
The theme for the session's debate was chosen by President Miroslav Lajcak as "Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet."[10]
The speaking order for the general debate was as follows:[11]
- The President of the General Assembly: Called the meeting to order
- The Secretary-General: Introduced the “Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization”
- The President of the General Assembly: Opened the general debate and made a speech
- Brazil, as per tradition, was the first Member State to speak in the general debate
- The United States of America, as the host country, was the second Member State to speak
- All other full Member States (speaking order is based on the level of representation, preference and other criteria such as geographic balance)
- Only the Holy See, the State of Palestine and the European Union are invited to participate in the general debate (speaking slots are determined by the level of representation)
A voluntary 15-minute time limit for statements is to be observed in the general debate. 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.
Resolutions came before the UNGA between October 2017 and summer 2018.
The tenth emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly was held in continuation during the tenure of this session on 21 December 2017 in regards to the status of Jerusalem.[12] United Nations General Assembly Resolution ES-10/L.22 passed by 128 votes to nine against with 21 absentees and 35 abstentions.
The election of non-permanent members to the Security Council for 2019–2020 was held on 8 June 2018, in which South Africa, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Germany and Belgium were elected.[13]
An election to choose 18 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council for a three-year term will take place.[when?]
- United Nations (31 May 2017). "General Assembly Elects Slovakia Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák President of Seventy-Second Session, while Selecting Bureaux for Main Committees". United Nations. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand (2018). "United Nations Handbook 2018–19" (PDF). United Nations Handbook:: An Annual Guide for Those Working within the United Nations (56th ed.). Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand: 22. ISSN 0110-1951.
- United Nations General Assembly C.1 (n.d.). "Bureau of the 72nd Session". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - United Nations General Assembly C.2 (n.d.). "Bureau of the 72nd Session". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - United Nations General Assembly C.3 (n.d.). "Bureau of the 72nd Session". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - United Nations General Assembly C.4 (n.d.). "Bureau of the 72nd Session". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - United Nations General Assembly C.5 (n.d.). "Bureau of the Fifth Committee of the 72nd session". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Dag Hammarskjöld Library (26 September 2018). "How are member states seated in the General Assembly?". Dag Hammarskjöld Library. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). "72nd Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 72)". International Institute for Sustainable Development. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- United Nations General Assembly (n.d.). "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". United Nations General Assembly. United Nations. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
- "Security Council Monthly" (PDF). www.reliefweb.int. June 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
