Return To: 2025 Handbook

2025 Handbook

General Assembly Plenary

Topics

The General Assembly Plenary considers issues that are best addressed in a comprehensive manner or that require coordinating work between many bodies of the United Nations. The Plenary has the widest latitude of the deliberative bodies to discuss and pass resolutions on a wide variety of topics. For example, the 60th General Assembly established a Peacebuilding Commission that oversees the United Nations peacebuilding processes and coordinates the work of the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Secretary-General and Member States emerging from conflict situations. Note: if the Security Council, which is given the primary task of ensuring peace and security by the Charter, is discussing a particular issue, the General Assembly Plenary will cease its own deliberations and defer to the Security Council. Additionally, only the Fifth Committee is able to set or discuss the United Nations budget. No other body, including the Plenary, is able to do so.

Our ocean, our future, our responsibility Our ocean, our future, our responsibility

The ocean is an integral system for humanity, both as a major source of oxygen and food and the cultural and economic benefits it provides. However, habitat loss, ocean acidification and ecosystem degradation all threaten the health of the ocean. The United Nations’ declaration of “Our ocean, our future, our responsibility” in 2022 reinforced the need to protect the ocean and strengthened the international commitment towards that goal. With all States—even landlocked ones—contributing to the threats facing the ocean while benefiting from its resources, it is the responsibility of the global community to safeguard the ocean and ensure it remains a resource for generations to come.

Interest in ocean preservation began in the late 1960s as advances in technology allowed further utilization of the ocean and its resources. The first formal action was in 1972 when the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter, also known as the London Convention. This convention was one of the first international efforts to address man-made maritime environmental issues and has 87 Member States as Parties. Ten years later, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was created as a comprehensive treaty for oceans. Also in 1992, Brazil hosted the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the ‘Earth Summit.’ The Earth Summit introduced sustainable development as an achievable goal and fostered cooperation between governments and their citizens to pursue sustainability in development. The London Convention was later updated in 1996 —when it  became known as the London Protocol— and created a comprehensive outline regarding dumping beyond the London Convention and embracing precautionary measures, including fully prohibited waste dumping.

With the turn of the millennium, the United Nations created the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including environmental sustainability, that were intended to be achieved in fifteen years. In 2015, the MDGs were succeeded by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through Sustainable Development Goal 14 “Life Below Water,” the United Nations pushes for comprehensive solutions to environmental problems, especially aquatic environments. No further major oceanic developments were made until 2022, where representatives worldwide convened in Lisbon, Portugal at the United Nations Ocean Conference to address these pressing issues. This meeting, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, led to the adoption of a declaration titled, “Our ocean, our future, our responsibility,” which emphasized the need for collective action to protect the oceans, ensuring that they remain healthy for future generations. The conference and declaration focused on fighting pollution, bringing resources to small fisheries and increasing research development of marine technologies.

By the end of 2023, 59 States had reported using ecosystem-based approaches to managing marine areas, and almost all regions made significant progress in measuring the use of ecosystem-based management. Progress had been uneven across different regions and States because of differences in capacity, resources, governance structures and environmental challenges. In June 2025, Nice, France hosted the United Nations Ocean Conference, which produced the Nice Ocean Action Plan—a two-part framework consisting of a political declaration, “Our ocean, our future, our responsibility”,  and over 800 voluntary commitments by governments, scientists, UN agencies and civil society.

Since the 2025 Ocean Conference, the United Nations has focused on raising monetary support for ocean conservation, science and sustainable fishing and repairing damages to the ocean and preventing further harm. Several Member States have also made individual commitments. For example, French Polynesia pledged to create the world’s largest marine protected area and Germany launched a programme to remove underwater munitions from the Baltic and North Seas. Additionally, multilateral coalitions have developed measures to strengthen oceanic governance and reduce marine noise pollution. 

Questions to consider from your country’s perspective:

  • What specific national interests or industries depend on the ocean’s resources, and how should these interests be balanced with conservation efforts?
  • What partnerships or regional agreements could strengthen capacity to protect the ocean?
  • How should the responsibility for ocean protection be shared between coastal, island, and landlocked countries?
  • What should be prioritized: economic benefits, environmental protection, or social and cultural ties to the ocean—and how can these be balanced?
  • What role should the UN play in holding States and private actors accountable for activities that damage marine environments?

Bibliography Bibliography

Top ↑

United Nations Documents United Nations Documents

Top ↑

Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations

Humanitarian assistance is material or logistical support given with the objective of saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity. This aid can be given as direct assistance, indirect assistance and infrastructure support. Typically, humanitarian aid is given in response to natural or man-made disasters. One of the main difficulties concerning humanitarian aid is proper coordination of assistance. By strengthening the coordination of humanitarian aid, the United Nations can effectively and efficiently assist States in need.

 The Global Humanitarian Overview for 2025, launched in December 2024, forecasted 305.1 million people in need. Of these, 189.5 million people have been targeted for aid, necessitating $47.4 billion in financing to achieve this goal. Currently global humanitarian aid measures face increased strain as a result of concurrent humanitarian disasters around the world and recent dramatic reductions in funding from the United States—traditionally the largest supporter of such initiatives—to both United Nations aid programs and the Agency for International Development (USAID), which supported both foreign aid and humanitarian assistance. Additionally, this is compounded with overall decreased funding for humanitarian aid from other States. Coordination of humanitarian aid is hence crucial to ensure limited resources are not wasted on duplicated efforts and faulty planning or prioritization. In addition to decreased funding, warring parties have also weaponized aid or created significant barriers and security challenges to the delivery of vital humanitarian aid. Humanitarian aid is also needed around the world while natural disasters and climate change continue to have disproportionate and catastrophic effects on developing States and populations.

While the United Nations has supplied humanitarian aid since its founding, initial efforts were largely independent campaigns. The Office of the Disaster Relief Coordinator, established in 1971, introduced a coordinating effort for disaster relief which was subsequently reimagined into the Office of the Emergency Relief Coordinator in 1991 amidst the first Gulf War. These resolutions were key in establishing disaster and emergency relief coordination, with an expanded mission to coordinate the delivery of aid for natural and man-made disasters. Additionally, the coordination efforts reduce duplication and ensure aid is properly directed where needed. This role eventually evolved into the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as well as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) overseen by OCHA. Today, OCHA is the primary tool by which the United Nations engages in the coordination of humanitarian aid.

Currently, the United Nations identifies that there is significant need for assistance in the areas of gender and sexual abuse, scarce resources and proactive disaster preparedness. The most recent resolution, passed in December 2024, recognized the risks posed by increasingly limited resources available to humanitarian aid efforts. This resolution identified ongoing conflict, the lasting impacts of  the COVID-19 pandemic and the vulnerability of developing states to the effects of climate change as key difficulties. One of the key challenges the United Nations currently faces coordinating humanitarian aid to provide swift relief and mobilizing support for rebuilding infrastructure.

As identified in A/RES/79/140, the delivery of aid continues to grow more complex especially in conflict zones and funding continues to fall short of meeting humanitarian aid targets when coordination is inadequate. Additionally,  growing donor fatigue has further reduced available funds. 

The scope of the United Nations’ mission to provide humanitarian aid is vast and continues to expand. In order for the United Nations to hit its aid goals, greater international cooperation is needed—especially in regards to financing and marshalling resources. Member States with strong coordination can address different humanitarian disasters and organize the appropriate resources and responses to these humanitarian issues. This will require careful time and consideration by the committee. 

Questions to consider from your country’s perspective:

  • How will different humanitarian crises be prioritized to ensure they receive the necessary attention and resources?
  • How will the United Nations navigate the significant obstacles posed by ongoing conflicts when delivering humanitarian aid?
  • How will the international community address and reverse the current widespread decline in funding for humanitarian aid?

Top ↑

Bibliography Bibliography

Top ↑

United Nations Documents United Nations Documents

Support AMUN to accelerate the development of future leaders

AMUN is a non-profit that continues to grow with the help from people like you!
DONATE