UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution to set up a working group for negotiations aimed at creating a Global Pact for the Environment, a legally binding international instrument.

The resolution sponsored by France won the support of 143 countries. Iran, the Philippines, Russia, Syria, Turkey and the United States voted against it. Six other countries abstained while several states did not vote.

The resolution requests UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to submit to the General Assembly a report that identifies and assesses possible gaps in international environmental law and environment-related instruments with a view to strengthening their implementation.

It decides to establish an ad hoc open-ended working group to consider the report, and if deemed necessary, to consider the scope, parameters and feasibility of a Global Pact for the Environment.

The resolution requests the current president of the General Assembly to appoint two co-chairs of the working group -- one from a developing country and one from a developed country -- to oversee its consultations.

French President Emmanuel Macron is a champion of the Global Pact for the Environment, the idea of which stems from the fragmented nature of international environmental law.

France hopes that a global compact can be adopted by the international community by the end of 2020.