UN General Assembly adopts resolution to mark end of WWII anniversary

The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution to commemorate the upcoming 70th anniversary of the end of the WWII, urging the international community not to forget wartime sacrifices and atrocities.

The resolution was adopted by consensus at the 69th session of the 193-member assembly. Its sponsors include China and nearly 40 other countries, including Belarus, Brazil, Germany, India, Mongolia, Poland, Russia, Serbia and Vietnam.

The assembly asked its president to hold a special solemn meeting in the second week of May 2015 in commemoration of all victims, according to the resolution.

"2015 will mark the seventieth anniversary of the end of Second World War, a war which brought untold sorrow to humankind, particularly in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Pacific and other parts of the world," it said.

The resolution stressed that "this historic event established the conditions for the creation of the United Nations, designed to prevent future wars and save succeeding generations from their scourge."

It noted that this year will also mark the UN's 70th founding anniversary, calling upon all UN member states to "unite their efforts in dealing with challenges and threats to international peace and security, with the United Nations playing a central role."

The member states are also asked to "make every effort to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations, and to settle all disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations."

In addition, the assembly recalled that a resolution adopted on Nov. 22, 2004 to declare May 8 and 9 "a time of remembrance and reconciliation," and invited all member states, UN bodies, non-governmental organizations and individuals to observe those days to pay tribute to all victims of the war.