The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proposed by Russia as part of the UN-80 Secretary-General's initiative aimed at reforming the organization. The document was approved without a vote, despite the voiced reservations of a number of countries, the UN press service reports.
The UN-80 initiative, launched by the Secretary General of the organization in March, covers three areas: improving the efficiency of the organization, assessing the implementation of key tasks and exploring possible structural reforms.
Several delegations, including Denmark, which spoke on behalf of the EU, the CANZ group (Canada, Australia, New Zealand) and Switzerland (also spoke on behalf of Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein), expressed support for the objectives of the reform, but expressed doubts about the timing and limitations of consultations. In particular, Denmark called the process "premature", and Australia, speaking on behalf of CANZ, "hasty".
Russia rejected claims about the timing of the preparation of the text, saying that it had held consultations and taken into account the "red lines" of delegations. The Russian delegate stressed that the adopted resolution puts the member states "at the helm" of the reform process, recognizing the role of the Secretary General in accordance with the UN Charter.
The resolutions of the UN General Assembly are advisory in nature.
In September 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin called for UN reform. He said that the organization is called upon to play a central role in maintaining peace and security, while adapting its structure to the realities of the XXI century is important for further effective functioning, RBC reminds.