First session of the United Nations General Assembly

First session of the United Nations General Assembly
10 January – 14 February 1946 (1946-01-10 – 1946-02-14) 23 October – 15 December 1946 (1946-10-23 – 1946-12-15) 2nd  →
President of the 1st General Assembly, Paul-Henri Spaak
Host country	United Nations
Venues	Westminster Central Hall, London and Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, New York City
Participants	United Nations Member States
President	Paul-Henri Spaak

Eleanor Roosevelt at UNGA 1

First resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly

The first session of the United Nations General Assembly was the inaugural meeting of the UN's principal deliberative, policy-making and representative organ. It opened on 10 January 1946 at the Methodist Central Hall in London, and brought together representatives of the original 51 member states under the then recently-ratified United Nations Charter.

Gladwyn Jebb, executive secretary of the UN, notified Dr. Eduardo Zuleta Angel, head of the Colombian delegation to the UN and chairman of the Preparatory Commission of the United Nations, called the meeting to order. Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium was elected the first president of the General Assembly in a 28–23 vote, prevailing over Trygve Lie (who went on to be the first Secretary General of the UN). ^{[1] [2]}

The second meeting of the first session opened in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, New York, on 23 October 1946. ^[3]

Background

After the conclusion of World War II, Allied powers sought to establish a global organization to prevent future conflicts and promote international cooperation. The UN Charter was drafted at the United Nations Conference on International Organization in San Francisco in June 1945 and came into force on 24 October 1945 after ratification by the majority of signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council. ^[4]

With the Charter in force but no permanent headquarters or fully staffed secretariat, a Preparatory Commission was established in London to transition the United Nations from its planning phase to full operation. ^[5] The commission was led by Gladwyn Jebb of the United Kingdom, who served as Executive Secretary. ^[6]

The choice of Methodist Central Hall as the venue for the gathering was symbolic. It took place four months after the end of the Second World War, in a time when the city was extensively damaged from The Blitz. ^[7] Holding the Assembly in a place of worship was intended to reflect both the pain experienced during the war and hope for a peaceful future under the newly established United Nations framework. ^[8]

In preparation for the Assembly, the hall underwent significant modifications. Seating was removed to create space, carpets were laid, translation booths were installed, and long tables were set up to accommodate representatives of the 51 founding nations. The British government provided delegates with support, including access to a canteen, temporary ration books, clothing coupons, and organized tours of bomb-damaged areas by the Women's Voluntary Service. ^[6]

British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin persuaded the church congregation to vacate the hall for the event, stating that "there could be no better place than a House of God, with the atmosphere of prayer already there". ^[9]

Several notable figures addressed the Assembly during the meetings. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee urged that the United Nations become "the over-riding factor in foreign policy," ^[6] emphasizing the avoidance of war and the establishment of global security and freedom. ^{[10] [11]}

Former First Lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, convened women delegates and delivered an 'Open Letter to the Women of the World', calling on governments to encourage women's active participation in national and international affairs and in the work of peace and reconstruction. ^{[12] [13] [14]}

London

The first meeting of the General Assembly convened on 10 January 1946 at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster, London. Ambassador Eduardo Zuleta Ángel of Colombia, chairman of the Preparatory Commission, formally called the meeting to order, emphasizing the urgency of implementing the purposes of the UN Charter in a world still recovering from war. ^[15]

The meeting addressed early organizational matters, including basic procedures, committee formation, and preparation for future sessions. Delegations from the member states participated in debates and laid the groundwork for the Assembly's regular functions. ^[16]

New York

After adjournment in London, the session resumed later that year at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City on 23 October 1946. It was the first time the General Assembly convened in North America. This venue, originally constructed for the 1939 World's Fair, served as a temporary office for the UN before the organization's permanent headquarters were established in Manhattan. ^{[17] [18]}

Headquarters

Main article: Headquarters of the United Nations

In the first part of its first session in London, the General Assembly addressed where the United Nations should establish its long-term headquarters. On 14 February 1946, at its 33rd plenary meeting, the Assembly adopted a resolution deciding that the permanent seat of the United Nations should be located in Westchester County, New York, and/or Fairfield County, Connecticut, near New York City, and that New York City would serve as the interim headquarters pending a final decision. ^[19]

Later that year, an offer by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to donate US $8.5 million to purchase an approximately 17–18-acre site along Manhattan's East River led the General Assembly to revisit its earlier decision. In Resolution 100(I) of 14 December 1946, the Assembly repealed the prior location choice and instead resolved to establish the permanent headquarters of the United Nations at the present Midtown Manhattan site. ^{[20] [21]}

References

1. "Verbatim Record of the First Plenary Session of the UN General Assembly" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
2. Borger, Julian (23 September 2019). "What is the point of the UN general assembly?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 10 January 2026.
3. "October 23 1946 CE – The United Nations General Assembly Convenes in New York for the First Time". This Day in World History. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
4. "United Nations General Assembly | History, Role & Purpose | Britannica". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 December 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
5. Laves, Walter H. C.; Wilcox, Francis O. (1946). "The First Meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations". The American Journal of International Law. 40 (2): 346–373. doi:10.2307/2193195. ISSN   0002-9300. JSTOR   2193195.
6. "UN75 – the first UN meetings in London – FCDO Stories". blogs.fcdo.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
7. Marshall, Peter (10 January 2016). "The United Kingdom and the United Nations: a Seventy Year Perspective" (PDF). unawestminster.org.uk.
8. "In Pictures: first-ever UN General Assembly in London 80 years ago". United Nations Western Europe. 8 January 2026. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
9. "75th Anniversary of the United Nations". Methodist Central Hall. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
10. "British Prime Minister Attlee addresses first UNGA meeting". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
11. "The origin story of the U.N. General Assembly, forged in the ashes of WWII". The Washington Post.
12. Roosevelt, Eleanor (12 February 1946). Open Letter to the women of the world, read by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt to the General Assembly, and subsequent discussion by delegations, at the first session of the General Assembly [Note: Self-contained extract]: A/PV.29, 12 February 1946.
13. "Episode 23: "Open Letter to the Women of the World" and "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" by Eleanor Roosevelt". Breaking Down Patriarchy. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
14. Shvangiradze, Tsira (15 August 2023). "How Eleanor Roosevelt Helped Found the United Nations". TheCollector. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
15. "Eduardo Zuleta Angel Is Dead; Leader of First U.N. Assembly (Published 1973)". 28 September 1973. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
16. Fabry, Merrill. "What Today's U.N. General Assembly Has in Common With the First One Ever". TIME. Archived from the original on 22 March 2025. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
17. Douglas, Hannah (11 November 2015). "Queens once home to United Nations". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
18. "Designation of Building Confuses U.N. Audience" (PDF). The New York Times . 24 October 1946. p. 4. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
19. "The Under Secretary of State (Acheson) to the Director of the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (Snyder)". history.state.gov. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
20. "Resolutions Adopted on the report of the permanent headquarters committee". docs.un.org. Retrieved 10 January 2026.
21. Blum, Yehuda Z. (1989). "U.N. General Assembly Meetings Held Outside New York". Michigan Journal of International Law . 11 (1): 214.