The leadership of the UN General Assembly has listed safe migration, conflict prevention, sustainable development and other reforms as its priorities for the 72nd General Assembly session this year. According to the President of the 193-member body, Miroslav Lajcák, “We will continue our work on the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration”.
Mr. Lajcák told a news conference at UN Headquarters, while welcoming constructive debates and a positive atmosphere during the consultation and preparatory phases on the initiative, that 2018 holds great promises.
In his words, “The next steps will be the intergovernmental negotiations, which will start in February with the aim of concluding them before July,” noting that he will hold parallel meetings on the pressing issue of safe migration with key actors from academia, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, aiming to take into account the views of the society as a whole.
Meanwhile, Mr. Lajcák said that on 24 and 25 April 2018, he would convene a high-level meeting on peace-building. “This will be a good opportunity to focus on the UN’s work on sustainable peace and conflict prevention,” he noted. Focusing on the global momentum on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UNGA President said the Assembly would organize three events between March and June.
In May, the General Assembly would organize an event on youth focused on education, employment and the prevention of radicalism. The Assembly President’s rationale is flawless, “We do not want to make this event a routine meeting. We want this program to be designed with young people, not just to talk to them but also to listen to what they have to say about the work of the UN.”
In June, the Assembly President will hold a meeting on financing for development. “We need to address significant funding gaps when it comes to implementing the SDGs,” Mr. Lajcák stated, pointing out that “the truth is that with the current budget and pace, we will not be able to achieve the SDGs by 2030. So we need to strengthen the links between the SDGs and the financial resources that are available within the private sector.”
On other priorities, he said the UN reforms initiated by the Secretary-General will also be at the heart of the Assembly’s agenda in 2018. To that end, Mr. Lajcák announced that the Assembly had earlier adopted by consensus a resolution on overhauling the UN peace and security architecture. The text requests the Secretary-General to provide a second comprehensive report on this reform and on the development and management system of the global organization.
