29 April 2019: The co-facilitators for the date and modalities for the commemoration of UN’s 75th anniversary circulated a zero draft resolution, based on views expressed by UN Member States during two informal consultations held in April 2019.

Prepared by the co-facilitators for the intergovernmental consultations, Burhan Gafoor, Permanent Representative of Singapore, and Bergdis Ellertsdottir, Permanent Representative of Iceland, the resolution would decide that:

• UN’s 75th anniversary will be commemorated in 2020 under the theme “The World We Want, the Future We Need”;
• A high-level commemorative plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), with the participation of Heads of State and Government, will be convened in New York, US, on Monday, 21 September 2020, as a half-day meeting;
• The plenary meeting will feature statements by the UNGA President, the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN Security Council, the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the chairs of the five regional groups, a representative from the host country, and five youth representatives; and
• No other intergovernmental meetings or side events will be organized at the same time at UN headquarters.

By the text, the commemorative plenary meeting shall adopt by consensus a “concise, substantive and forward-looking” declaration that has been agreed intergovernmentally, and captures Member States’ shared vision and aspirations for the UN and for a common future. To reach agreement on the declaration, the resolution requests that the President of UNGA 74 appoint two co-facilitators to lead and conclude intergovernmental negotiations by June 2020.

The document requests the UN Secretary-General to establish a special voluntary trust fund to support the commemoration of UN’s 75th anniversary, while also encouraging contributions from Member States and other donors.

By the draft, a Youth Plenary would be convened under the auspices of the ECOSOC President and in conjunction with the ECOSOC Youth Forum in 2020, “to engage in a forward-looking, youth-driven global dialogue.” The document invites the Youth Plenary to transmit a common message to the commemorative plenary meeting on 21 September 2020.

Governments will provide initial feedback on the zero draft resolution in a meeting at the UN Headquarters on 6 May 2019.

The co-facilitators have noted their intention to finalize negotiations on the event’s date and modalities by the end of May 2019. [Zero Draft Resolution] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 8 April Consultation] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on 15 April consultation]