A/77/PV.66 General Assembly

I now invite the attention of the General Assembly to a report of the Fifth Committee under sub-item (b) of agenda item 118, entitled “Appointment of members of the Committee on Contributions”, issued as document A/77/568/Add.1. Members will recall that the General Assembly concluded its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 118 at its 34th plenary meeting on 15 November 2022. In order for the Assembly to consider the report of the Fifth Committee under that sub-item, it will be necessary to reopen consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 118. May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to reopen consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 118?

The General Assembly will now consider the reports of the Fifth Committee on agenda items 118 (b), 138, 143, 144 and 136. I request the Rapporteur of the Committee, Mr. Marinko Avramović of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to introduce in one intervention the reports of the Fifth Committee before the Assembly. Mr. Avramović (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Rapporteur of the Fifth Committee: I have the honour to present to the General Assembly the reports of the Fifth Committee containing recommendations on issues considered during the first part of the resumed seventy-seventh session of the General Assembly. The Fifth Committee met from 3 to 31 March, holding three plenary meetings, numerous informal consultations, as well as many informal and formal consultations. Let me now present the reports of the Fifth Committee containing recommendations on issues that require action by the General Assembly. Under sub-item (b) of agenda item 118, entitled “Appointment of members of the Committee on Contributions”, in paragraph 4 of its report A/77/568/ Add.1, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, the appointment of Minhong Yi of the Republic of Korea as a member of the Committee on Contributions for a term of office beginning on the date of appointment by the General Assembly and ending on 31 December 2023. Under agenda item 138, entitled “Programme budget for 2023”, in paragraph 6 of its report A/77/672/ Add.1, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of a draft resolution entitled “Special subjects relating to the programme budget for 2023”, which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. Under agenda item 143, entitled “Human resources management”, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/77/818, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of a draft resolution which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. The resolution is the first comprehensive resolution on human resources management adopted by the Committee in six years. Under agenda item 144, entitled “Joint Inspection Unit”, in paragraph 6 of its report contained in document A/77/819, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of a draft resolution which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. Finally, under agenda item 136, entitled “Review of the efficiency of the administrative and financial functioning of the United Nations”, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly, in paragraph 8 of its report A/77/673/Add.1, the adoption of the draft resolution entitled “Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat”, which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. In paragraph 9 of the same report, the Committee recommends to the General Assembly the adoption of the draft decision entitled “Questions deferred for future consideration”, which was adopted by the Committee without a vote. I thank delegations for their cooperation and the spirit of compromise which enabled the Committee to finish its work on time. Allow me to also express sincere gratitude to the Secretariat of the Fifth Committee for its continued and tireless efforts in supporting our work. I would also like to thank the Chair of the Fifth Committee, Ambassador Philippe Kridelka and his team, Mr. Basiel Bogaerts and Ms. Lina Hadboun, for the dedicated way in which they guided us through our work, as well as my colleagues in the Bureau, Mr. Abdulla Ali Abdulrahman Mohamed Ahmed, Mr. Masotsha Mongezi Mnguni and Mr. Carlos Videche Guevara, working with whom is always a truly gratifying experience. I look forward to working with all Member States to ensure the success of the second part of the resumed session that will take place in May, in which the Committee will focus on the financing of peacekeeping operations.

I thank the Rapporteur of the Committee. The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records. Therefore, if there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the General Assembly decides not to discuss the reports of the Committee that are before the Assembly today.

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote. May I remind members that, in accordance with General Assembly decision 34/401, when the same draft resolution is considered in a Main Committee and in plenary meeting, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, that is, either in the Committee or in plenary meeting, unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee, and that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats. When there are multiple proposals under an agenda item, statements in explanation of vote before the voting on any or all of them should be made in one intervention, followed by action on all of them, one by one. Therefore, there will be an opportunity for statements in explanation of vote after the voting on any or all of them in one intervention. Before we begin to take action on the recommendations contained in the reports of the Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we will proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Committee, unless notified otherwise in advance. I should therefore hope that we may proceed to adopt without a vote those recommendations that were adopted without a vote in the Committee. The result of the voting will be uploaded to the e-deleGATE Portal, under “Plenary Announcements”.

The General Assembly will now consider the report of the Committee on sub-item (b) of agenda item 118, entitled “Appointments of members of the Committee on Contributions”, concerning a vacancy in the membership of the Committee on Contributions as a result of the resignation of Ji-sun Jun of the Republic of Korea. In its report, the Committee recommends that the General Assembly appoint Minhong Yi of the Republic of Korea as a member of the Committee on Contributions for a term of office beginning 18 April 2023 and ending on 31 December 2023. May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to appoint Minhong Yi as a member of the Committee on Contributions for a term of office beginning on 18 April 2023 and ending on 31 December 2023? It was so decided (decision 77/409 B).

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (b) of agenda item 118?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution entitled “Special subjects relating to the programme budget for 2023”. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 138.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution entitled “Human resources management”. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 143.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution entitled “Joint Inspection Unit”. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 144.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution and a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraphs 8 and 9 of its report, respectively. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution and the draft decision, one by one. The draft resolution is entitled “Progress towards an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat”. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The draft decision is entitled “Questions deferred for future consideration”. The Committee adopted the draft decision without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 136. The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of all the reports of the Fifth Committee before it for this meeting.

Members will also recall that, at its 3rd plenary meeting, on 16 September 2022, the General Assembly decided to allocate agenda item 18 to the Second Committee. To enable the Assembly to take action expeditiously on the draft decision, may I take it that the Assembly wishes to consider agenda item 18 directly in plenary meeting and proceed immediately to its consideration? It was so decided. (decision 77/505 B).

I now give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Yolanda Díaz Pérez, Second Vice-President and Minister for Labour and Social Economy of Spain, to introduce draft resolution A/77/L.60.

As Second Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Labour and the Social Economy, I am proud to be in this Hall today at the adoption of the first General Assembly draft resolution on the social and solidarity economy (A/77/L.60), a draft resolution that promotes democracy and social justice as the backbone of the world we aspire to build. Universally defining the concept of the social and solidarity economy and enshrining it at the United Nations is the result of collective work that advances the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and improves the tools to address the major challenges facing humanity, mainly reducing inequalities and protecting our planet. The text encourages Member States and international organizations to include the social and solidarity economy in their national plans and framework documents. It encourages financial institutions and development banks to support that economic system, in addition to requesting the Secretary-General to prepare a report in order to revisit the issue in two years’ time. Moving towards an economy that is more participatory, democratic, community-based and resilient to crises enables us to lay the foundation for improving the lives of citizens, even when uncertainty looms. The Government of Spain’s development of social economy-based solutions demonstrates that it is possible to overcome a ruthless, soulless economic system that is predicated on cutbacks and neglecting the most vulnerable and rooted in inequality. What is more, the social economy has managed to disprove the self- serving cliché that countries must sacrifice the ideals of justice and equality for the sake of their economic development when, on the contrary, those ideals should be at the core of our political and economic systems. As we have seen, things can be done differently. The social economy is therefore both our present and future, because it proposes an inclusive economic model with social objectives, based on internal solidarity and with people at the centre, with the capacity for innovation, cohesion and job creation, effortlessly linking together labour, equality in all its expressions and democratic values, making the United Nations ideal of human development possible. I speak from a very unique experience, that of our country, Spain, where the social economy accounts for 10 per cent of the gross domestic product. That important figure represents a solid business fabric that is prepared for change and promotes the participation of workers in business decisions and their access to ownership of the means of production, while guaranteeing the continuity of many business projects in the hands of the workers themselves, all in a sustainable way that is close to the communities. The social economy therefore plays an instrumental role in the transformation of the global economy towards a sustainable development model, as it gives people and the communities in which they are involved direct control in important areas such as agricultural production, health, industry, trade, education, housing, energy distribution and finance. Moreover, the social economy brings about equality within Spain’s labour, social and economic relations. My country is in fact a feminist economy, since its greater flexibility and job stability also reduce pay and wage gaps. For example, in our country, the pay gap between men and women in the social and solidarity economy is eight points lower than the average of the Spanish economy overall. That is why the social economy is not an approximate representation of the future we want, but evidence that it is possible to build a fairer, more sustainable and supportive world right now — the very heart and raison d’être of the United Nations. I would like to express my satisfaction at, and gratitude for, the work carried out for the draft resolution, as well as the collective intelligence that was placed at people’s disposal to ensure their rights and the protection of the planet. On behalf of the Government of Spain, allow me to also commend the positive negotiating environment in which the draft resolution was developed. I also extend my most sincere thanks to the facilitators, Senegal and Chile; the countries of the support group that helped us to promote and negotiate the draft resolution; the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group for the Social and Solidarity Economy, for having believed in it for years; and the people who every day help the social economy ensure a more sustainable future. As Francisco de Vitoria believed, justice is a virtue whose aim is to achieve the common good. That is the essence of the draft resolution we are adopting today, which should help us to find the keys to a better, fairer and feminist world, one with self-respect. That is our challenge. That is the challenge of humankind. I thank everyone for contributing to draft resolution A//77/L.60 and, in short, to a more prosperous world.

We shall now proceed to consider draft resolution A/77/L.60. The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/77/L.60, entitled “Promoting the social and solidarity economy for sustainable development”. I give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

I should like to announce that, since the submission of the draft resolution, in addition to those delegations listed in the document, the following countries have become sponsors of draft resolution A/77/L.60: Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Malta, Mongolia, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Suriname and Uruguay.

May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft resolution A/77/L.60?

The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 18.

I now give the floor to the representative of Singapore to introduce draft decision A/77/L.62.

On behalf of Ambassador Rena Lee, President of the intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, I have the honour of introducing draft decision A/77/L.62. The conference met at its resumed fifth session from 20 February to 4 March. At the closing of the session, the conference decided to establish an open- ended informal working group tasked with ensuring the uniformity of the terminology throughout the text of the draft agreement that was finalized at the session and harmonizing the versions in the six official languages of the United Nations. The conference also decided to resume at a later date, once the open-ended informal working group had completed its work, with a view to adopting the draft agreement in all six official languages. Draft decision A/77/L.62 is based on the decisions of the conference, which were adopted by consensus. It proposes that the General Assembly request the Secretary-General to provide the necessary support and services to the open-ended informal working group and to convene a further resumed fifth session of the conference on 19 and 20 June 2023, tentatively, or on a date to be determined in consultation with the President of the conference, not in parallel to a plenary meeting of the General Assembly, and to provide it with full conference services. My delegation hopes that the General Assembly will adopt the draft decision without a vote.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft decision A/77/L.62, entitled “Intergovernmental conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction”. May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft decision A/77/L.62?

The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 72.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft decision A/77/L.63, entitled “Modalities for the Summit of the Future: rescheduling of the preparatory ministerial meeting”. May I take it that the Assembly decides to adopt draft decision A/77/L.63?

Allow me, at this stage, to share an overview of what the General Assembly has mandated for the high-level week of September 2023, following the adoption of decision 77/557. Monday, 18 September, will see the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development under the auspices of the General Assembly, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit. Tuesday, 19 September, will see the general debate and the continuation of the SDG Summit. Wednesday, 20 September, will see the general debate, the high-level dialogue on financing for development and the high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, which includes a plenary segment and multi-stakeholder panels held in parallel. The Secretary-General has informed me that he intends to convene a climate ambition summit on that day. Thursday, 21 September, will see the general debate, the ministerial meeting of the Summit of the Future and the high-level meeting on universal health coverage, which includes a plenary segment and multi-stakeholder panels held in parallel. Friday, 22 September, will see the general debate and the high-level meeting on the fight against tuberculosis, which includes a plenary segment and multi-stakeholder panels held in parallel. Saturday, 23 September will see the general debate, which will continue into the following week along with the high-level meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on Tuesday, 26 September. Let me also inform delegations that, during the next meeting of the General Committee, we will have a short review of this year’s high-level week, as decided upon just now, and discuss the political logic of the entire week. The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 126.