The General Assembly today took an important step towards correcting distortions in commonly used world maps, particularly the Mercator projection, which are seen misrepresenting the relative size of continents and contribute to a diminished perception of Africa and other equatorial regions.
Completing its substantive work for the eightieth session ending on 8 September, the Assembly adopted several draft resolutions and decisions.
Chief among them was the draft resolution titled “Correct the map: rebalancing global cartographic representation and promoting equitable representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa” (document A/80/L.104), which was adopted by a recorded vote of 164 in favour to 1 against (United States), with 6 abstentions (Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Ukraine).
It calls for wider use of equal-area map projections, particularly the Equal Earth projection, in contexts where the comparative size of continents matters, framing the issue as more than a technical cartographic problem.
Cognitive Justice, Historical Recognition, Equitable Representation
The sponsors argued that distorted maps affect education, public understanding, culture, geopolitics, development narratives and perceptions of Africa’s scale and potential. The resolution therefore links more accurate mapping to cognitive justice, historical recognition and equitable representation.
Introducing the text on behalf of the Group of African States, the representative of Togo said that the United Nations has progressively addressed imbalances inherited from the past.
“Today, the issue of mapping as a cognitive tool deserves our collective attention,” he said, asking: “How do we represent the world? How do we teach it? How do generations learn to see our planet?”
For centuries, map projections used in textbooks, the media, digital platforms and official documents have distorted the relative size of continents, symbolically diminishing Africa and other regions and perpetuating an unbalanced view of world geography. “Correcting the map means recognizing that every region of the world deserves to be represented accurately and with dignity,” he argued.
“Our approach is not directed against any nation, any civilization or any cartographic tradition,” he stressed. Rather, it seeks “to promote projections that better preserve the true proportions of continents,” including equal-area projections such as the Equal Earth projection preferred by the African Union.
“A fair map does not change the geography of the world; it changes how we see the world,” he said. “And when our perspective becomes more just, it paves the way for greater understanding, respect and peace among nations.”
Expressing support for the text, the Russian Federation’s representative said that Moscow has been consistent in its advocacy for overcoming the legacy of colonialism, and for combating the practice of neo-colonialism. Her country therefore supports African States’ independent efforts to restore historic justice and strengthen Africa’s role as one of the unique and influential centres of the contemporary multipolar world.
United States Rejects Text as ‘Barnacle’, Ukraine Says Map Depicts Occupied Territories in Wholly Unacceptable Manner
However, her counterpart from the United States rejected the text. Speaking before the vote, she said that while the draft is presented as an “anodyne” effort to update cartography, “it cannot be separated from the much larger and more radical ideological project it belongs to”. The Assembly is debating “map projects from the sixteenth century” and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice. Such resolutions are like “barnacles on our work here and the reason this institution is losing its credibility”.
While Ukraine does not oppose the core principles addressed in the draft resolution, that country’s representative took issue with the Equal Earth cartographic projection mentioned in the text, as this map depicts parts of Ukraine’s territory that have been temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation “in a manner that is wholly unacceptable”. Further, it is inconsistent with all relevant Assembly resolutions concerning “the non-recognition of the attempted illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014”.
The representative of Ireland, speaking for the European Union, said that the bloc supports the text’s objective of promoting a more equitable and accurate cartographic representation of the world’s regions, particularly Africa. However, she added, its scope is strictly limited to the purposes of education, awareness-raising and geographical literacy, and it “neither addresses nor affects questions relating to sovereignty, territorial status, delimitation or internationally recognized borders of States”.
Multilingualism Text Adopted Without Vote
The Assembly also adopted, without a vote, the draft resolution titled “Multilingualism” (document A/80/L.114), expressing concern over the impact of measures taken by the Secretary-General in response to the current liquidity situation on the provision of language services. By other terms, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to intensify efforts to ensure the full implementation of existing multilingualism mandates.
It was introduced by the representative of Andorra, who — alternating between English, French and Spanish — said that negotiations focused on “the most important thing”; namely, that multilingualism is an essential, founding value of the Organization. It spotlights the importance of equality between the six official UN languages and recognizes UN efforts to use non-official languages. And, in response to the Organization’s financial difficulties, he pointed out that the Assembly, through the text, is encouraging the use of emerging technologies “under appropriate human oversight and with appropriate quality control”.
He concluded: “This is a resolution that, unlike many others, has a very tangible impact.”
Assembly Proclaims Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development; Day for Elimination of Child Marriage
Other texts that were adopted include those on international observances.
The draft resolution titled “International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development (2027–2036)” (document A/80/L.102) garnered 174 votes in favour with no abstentions, but faced opposition from the United States, whose delegate said that the text diverts from the UN’s founding principles and contributes to procedural bloat. “Should this resolution pass, the UN will observe 19 concurrent international decades in 2027,” she noted, declaring: “This is a massive escalation over the 80 years history of this institution.”
The draft resolution titled “International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage” (document A/80/L.99) was adopted by consensus.
The Assembly also adopted the draft resolution titled “Commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia” (document A/80/L.103) by consensus.
It also adopted without a vote a draft decision concerning the participation of non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector, people of African descent and Indigenous Peoples’ representatives and institutions in the high-level meeting of the General Assembly to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (document A/80/L.116).
Thailand to Host 2027 Conference on Disaster Protection
Also by consensus, the Assembly adopted a draft decision on the new dates and venue of the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters (document A/80/L.115), by which Member States accepted “the generous offer” of Thailand to host the Conference in Bangkok from 25 January to 12 February 2027.
Several agenda items were deferred for inclusion in the Assembly’s eighty-first session, opening on 8 September.