The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) appointed former Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang, as the chairman of the 79th UNGA session, which will begin on 10 September 2024 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Yang will replace Dennis Francis of Trinidad and Tobago, the chairman of the 78th UNGA session.
Key highlights
- With Yang’s appointment, Cameron has become the 13th African nation with a representative appointed as the chairman of the United Nations General Assembly. Previously, Uganda’s representative and Nigerian representative were appointed as the chairman of the UNGA in 2014 and 2019 respectively.
- Yang was the Prime Minister of Cameroon from 2009 to 2019. He has been working as the Grand Chancellor of National Orders at the Presidency of the Republic since 2020.
About the 79th session of UNGA
- The session will convene on 10 September.
- The body’s high-level general discussion will begin on 24 September 2024.
About the UNGA
- The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is one of the six primary bodies of the United Nations (UN). It serves as the UN’s principal deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ.
- UNGA is the only UN body where all member nations have equal representation.
- The General Assembly comes together under its President or the UN secretary-general in annual sessions at UN headquarters in New York. The body can also organize special and emergency special sessions.
- Most of the questions are decided by a simple majority in the General Assembly, with each member having one vote.
- The resolutions passed by the General Assembly are not binding on members.
- The responsibilities of the UNGA include:
- UN budget
- Appointing the non-permanent members to the Security Council
- Appointing the UN secretary-general
- Getting reports from other parts of the UN ecosystem
- Making recommendations through resolutions
- Establishing various subsidiary organs to advance or support its broad mandate.
