Background of The United Nations General Assembly

Introduction……..
President Reverend Lazarus Chakwera recently travelled to attend UNGA in September 2023. I have come across very interesting questions from different Malawians who asked the relevance of the UNGA and what impact it has brought to the nation.

It is in this regard that I have come up with this article in an attempt to address some of the questions. In other words, this write up tries to address many questions as well which might not have been asked.

Background…..
The first session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Methodist Central Hall in London and included representatives of the 51 founding nations. Most questions are decided in the General Assembly by a simple majority. Each member country has one vote.

Established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.

As delineated in the Charter of the United Nations, the function of the General Assembly is to discuss, debate, and make recommendations on subjects pertaining to international peace and security, including development, disarmament, human rights, international law, and the peaceful arbitration of disputes between nations.

The Charter of the United Nations is the founding document of the United Nations. It was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945.

What is the history of Unga?
United Nations General Assembly, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and the only body in which every member of the organization is represented and allowed to vote. The first session of the assembly convened on Jan. 10, 1946, in London, with 51 countries represented.

Paul-Henri Spaak, Foreign Minister of Belgium, was elected first President of the General Assembly of the United Nations on January 16, 1946 and held this office for one session.

The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 193 Member States of the UN, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of international issues including peace and security.

The UNGA deliberates and decides on important matters such as peace and security, and other international issues. It also decides on the admission of new members. Decisions are taken by voting. Generally, a simple majority is considered but in case of important decisions, a two-thirds majority is considered.