UN General Assembly concludes annual high-level debate

United Nations: The 71st session of the UN General Assembly concluded its annual high-level General Debate here on Monday, wrapping up discussions on a wide range of topics on climate change, refugees and migrants as well as peace and development.

Over the past week, over 140 world leaders and representatives addressed the General Assembly on the theme of “The Sustainable Development Goals: A Universal Push to Transform our World”, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Wednesday, 31 more countries including Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Thailand deposited their ratification of the Paris Agreement with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

In addition, a summit held on last Monday at the UN headquarters adopted a declaration on refugees and migrants, pledging to build a comprehensive refugee response framework.

The General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the world body. Comprising of all 193 UN member states, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues.

The General Assembly meets in regular session intensively from September to December each year. At the beginning of each regular session, the assembly holds a general debate, often addressed by heads of state and government to express their views on the most pressing matters for the international community.

–IANS