The News Minute | February 27, 2015 | 11:15 am IST

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution to commemorate the upcoming 70th anniversary of the end of the second World War.

The resolution was adopted by consensus on Thursday at the 69th session of the 193-member assembly, Xinhua reported.

The assembly asked its president to hold a special meeting in May to commemorate the victims.

"2015 will mark the 70th 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," the resolution said.

The resolution stressed that "this historic event established the conditions for the creation of the UN, 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 the member states to "unite their efforts in dealing with challenges and threats to international peace and security, with the UN playing a central role".

The second World War, which took place from 1939 to 1945, resulted in an estimated 50-85 million fatalities, making it the deadliest conflict in the history.

IANS