General Assembly Adopts 35 Texts of Its Third Committee, Appoints Barham Ahmed Salih United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

General Assembly Adopts 35 Texts of Its Third Committee, Appoints Barham Ahmed Salih United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The General Assembly today appointed former Iraqi President Barham Ahmed Salih as the new head of the United Nations refugee agency and adopted 35 texts emerging from its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural).

Acting on the Secretary-General's proposal, the Assembly elected by acclamation Mr. Salih as UN High Commissioner for Refugees for a period of five years beginning on 1 January 2026 and ending on 31 December 2030. He succeeds Filippo Grandi (Italy), who served two five-year terms.

The Assembly also resumed action on a broad spectrum of Third Committee texts addressing issues related to human rights, social development, the advancement of women and gender equality and the protection of vulnerable groups.

Country-Specific Human Rights Texts

Country-specific human rights resolutions remained contentious. By their terms, the texts called on the authorities of the countries concerned to address alleged violations. Supporters maintained that such resolutions are essential for drawing international attention to serious, well-documented human rights concerns and for sustaining pressure on Governments that restrict access to independent monitoring mechanisms.

Opponents, however, characterized the texts as "biased" and "one-sided", arguing that "naming and shaming" undermines dialogue, politicizes human rights discussions and disproportionately targets developing countries while overlooking violations elsewhere.

Among those were the draft resolutions titled "Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran" (document A/C.3/80/L.30), adopted by a vote of 78 in favour to 27 against with 64 abstentions; "Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol" (document A/C.3/80/L.33/Rev.1), adopted by a vote of 79 in favour to 16 against with 73 abstentions; and "Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic" (document A/C.3/80/L.31/Rev.1), adopted by a vote of 114 in favour to 2 against (Nicaragua, Russian Federation) with 47 abstentions.

The draft resolutions "Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar" (document A/C.3/80/L.32/Rev.1) and "Situation of human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (document A/C.3/80/L.29) were adopted without a vote. The texts were not put to a vote as the military authorities in Naypyidaw, which seized power in a 2021 coup, are not represented at the United Nations and Pyongyang chose not to do so on the ground that the resolution can never be regarded as "a consensus".

Rights of Migrants

Today marked the International Migrants Day coincidentally as the Assembly adopted the draft resolution "Protection of migrants" (document A/C.3/80/L.52) by a vote of 147 in favour to 4 against (Argentina, Hungary, Israel, United States) with 27 abstentions. By its terms, the 193-member organ called upon States to promote and protect effectively the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their migration status, especially those of women and children and persons with disabilities. It also called upon States to address international migration through international, regional or bilateral cooperation and dialogue and a comprehensive and balanced approach, recognizing the roles and responsibilities of countries of origin, transit and destination.

Journalists' Safety

Despite increasingly divisive moods prevailing the Assembly, several texts nevertheless enjoyed consensus among Member States, including the draft resolution "The Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity" (document A/C.3/80/L.48).

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 92 journalists were confirmed killed this year at the time of writing.

By its terms, the Assembly "unequivocally" condemned all attacks, reprisals and violence against journalists and media workers, such as torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention and expulsion, as well as intimidation, threats and harassment, online and offline. It also urged Member States to do their utmost to prevent violence, threats and attacks targeting journalists and media workers, to ensure accountability.

Today's action brought the total number of Third Committee texts adopted by the Assembly to 56 (See Press Releases GA/12744 of 15 December and GA/12746 of 17 December).

Many delegations expressed regret that an amendment rejected in the Third Committee was reintroduced and adopted in the Assembly on 17 December. The amendment deleted references to "sexual orientation and gender identity" from a preambular paragraph of the draft resolution "Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto: amplified barriers in diverse contexts" (document A/C.3/80/L.44/Rev.1).

Mediterranean Diet Day

In other business, the Assembly adopted a draft resolution (document A/80/L.21), designating 16 November as the International Day of the Mediterranean Diet. While the text enjoyed consensus, concerns were expressed about the proliferation of International Days, as well as about approaches that promote a single type of diet, disregarding the diversity of food systems and cultural traditions that characterize different regions of the world.

Acting on the recommendation of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the Assembly adopted without a vote the draft resolution "Financial arrangements and procedures for the implementation of resolution 2719 (2023)" (document A/C.5/80/L.3), endorsing the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (document A/80/393).

Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here.