General Assembly Proclaims 5 September as International Day of World’s Indigenous Women and Girls, Adopts Resolution on UN Peacebuilding Architecture Review
The General Assembly today adopted two resolutions, the first marking 5 September as an international day for Indigenous women and girls and the second — considered concurrently with a similar text in the Security Council (see Press Release SC/16234) — concerning the annual review of United Nations peacebuilding.
Through the latter text, titled "2025 review of the United Nations peacebuilding architecture" (document A/80/L.15) and adopted without a vote, the General Assembly recognized the importance of further enhancing the advisory role of the Peacebuilding Commission, encouraged improved cooperation between that body and the Economic and Social Council and called for the Commission to serve as a platform to enhance UN system-wide coherence in support of peacebuilding and sustaining peace. It also decided to establish an annual "peacebuilding week" in June of each year.
Further, the Assembly called for the full implementation of relevant resolutions on financing for peacebuilding, encouraged the Commission to maintain a regular dialogue with the Peacebuilding Fund and requested the Secretary-General to update the Commission regarding progress and opportunities relating to innovative financing for peacebuilding. Among other terms, the Assembly asked the Secretary-General to assess how ongoing UN reforms can further enhance UN-system cooperation towards more coordinated and impactful peacebuilding efforts at the country level. The Assembly additionally called for a further comprehensive review of UN peacebuilding in 2030.
UN Peacebuilding Architecture: Focus on Conflict Prevention, National Ownership and Sustainable Financing
After its adoption, the representative of Egypt — whose delegation co-facilitated the resolution in the Assembly while that of Slovenia did so in the Security Council — said that today’s consensus "stands as a testament to the strength of multilateralism and our collective conviction that peacebuilding remains a shared priority and obligation for the international community". Today’s text is the culmination of a year-long negotiation process, and he said that extensive and inclusive consultations yielded a resolution centred around the international community’s core priorities — including prevention, national ownership and sustainable financing.
Morocco’s representative also welcomed today’s adoption, emphasizing that the legitimacy of the texts adopted in the Assembly and the Council is bolstered by the broad inclusivity of their drafting process. The representative of the United Kingdom, similarly, said that the resolution elucidates a "clear, practical and ambitious path forward" that reflects broad consensus among Member States. Argentina’s representative also praised the constructive spirit under which the twin resolutions were drafted. However, he disassociated himself from references to the Pact for the Future and the gender perspective, stating: "A sector-by-sector approach to human rights creates inequalities which run counter to the sought goal of non-discrimination."
The representative of the Russian Federation, meanwhile, said that the main aim of the peacebuilding architecture is to assist post-conflict countries, who are often deprived of support from donor countries and international financial institutions. This requires significant effort, resources and time and, often, the fruits of these endeavours can only be seen years later. "However, this is not a reason for lauding new, trendy areas, which are much easier to report on annually," she said. She also stressed that preventing crises must be nationally led and owned — a point echoed by Iran’s representative, who underscored that national ownership of peacebuilding processes "must be ensured and upheld at every stage".
Omissions in Resolution Raise Concern
Other speakers took issue with omissions in the text. Switzerland’s representative expressed regret that the important role played by peace and security advisers within UN country teams was not reflected in the resolution. The representative of Australia pointed to a lack of recognition of the existential threat posed by climate change in many regions, also stressing that his country will continue to advocate for inclusivity, gender equality, sustainable development and human-rights-based approaches — as they are critical to sustaining peace.
The representative of Denmark, speaking for the European Union and its member States, said that peacebuilding must span across the three UN pillars — peace and security, sustainable development and human rights — to "be effective and have lasting impact". As such, she said that her delegation would have "liked to see stronger language" on civil-society engagement, gender equality and organizations led by women and youth, as well as references to the Sustainable Development Goals, "among other things". She also expressed regret that the resolution did not recognize the adverse effects of climate change and other compounding factors that can undermine national efforts to build and sustain peace.
Norway’s representative expressed similar regret that "due attention has not been given to climate change and environmental degradation — key conflict-risk multipliers". He also took issue with weakened language on inclusivity, human rights and women, peace and security. Also noting the lack of agreement on concrete ways to improve the Peacebuilding Commission’s working methods, he said: "If we are serious about enhancing the impact of the Commission’s work, we must ensure that the consensual decision-making process is a vehicle for collective commitment and determination, rather than a brake on joint ambitions."
He also described the context in which the review is taking place, which includes a surge in increasingly complex conflicts, a growing climate crisis and increasing social injustice, compounded by growing militarization — a point also made by Japan’s representative — geopolitical polarization and deadlock in the Security Council. Underscoring that this calls for expanding the scope of peacebuilding and prevention — not "narrowing it down" — he concluded: "We therefore stress that the twin resolutions should represent a baseline for our ambitions and not a ceiling."
International Day of World’s Indigenous Women and Girls: Supporting Their Rights; Economic, Social and Cultural Development
At the outset of the meeting, Bolivia’s represented introduced the draft resolution titled "International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls" (document A/80/L.11). Spotlighting the structural inequality adversely impacting disadvantaged groups across the world, she said that these gaps are widening for Indigenous women and girls. Against that backdrop, she underscored that the international community must remember that "all people must be recognized as equal" and therefore address the structural dynamics of exclusion.
Recalling that 5 September is already marked by many countries in remembrance of Bartolina Sisa — an Indigenous Bolivian leader who gave her life in the struggle for freedom, justice and the collective rights of Indigenous Peoples — she said that the resolution proposes this date for the International Day and urged those present to support the text by consensus.
United States Calls for Vote, Delegates Cite Concerns after Adoption
However, the representative of the United States then requested a recorded vote on the draft — and said that her delegation will vote against it — due to her country’s policy against the growing proliferation of "international theme days" in the UN system. And, while the United States rejects discrimination based on race or genetic ancestry, it also rejects policies that represent the principles of "diversity, equity and inclusion" or contain language related to climate change or the Sustainable Development Goals.
The General Assembly then adopted the draft resolution by a recorded vote of 123 in favour to 3 against (Argentina, Israel, United States), with 2 abstentions (Ethiopia, Türkiye), thereby deciding to proclaim 5 September of each year as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls.
After the vote, several delegations expressed their concerns with the adopted text. Ethiopia’s representative, noting the complexity of the term "Indigenous" and its instrumentalization in Africa — where it is often applied without context-specific knowledge — said that her delegation "found it difficult" to support the resolution despite its vote in favour. The representatives of Iran and Paraguay emphasized the voluntary nature of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its review processes, respectively, while the representative of New Zealand echoed the concern raised regarding the proliferation and cost of international days.
"Once again, we must note with regret that the delegation of the United States, with superfluous, irrelevant reasons, called for this resolution to be submitted to a vote," said Cuba’s representative. His country, he added, voted in favour to "acknowledge the crucial contribution made by Indigenous women and girls to the preservation of cultures, languages and territory — and because it is a concrete step forward to fighting against discrimination, violence and the structural barriers that affect the full enjoyment of their rights".
Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here .