The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution denouncing Syria’s bloody crackdown on civilian protesters and urging for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.

The Arab-backed resolution was approved on Thursday in a 137-12 vote with 17 abstentions.

China and Russia both voted against the measure, following the two nations veto of a similar resolution at the U.N. Security Council earlier this month.

Observers say the resolution approved Thursday, though it's nonbinding, is symbolic as it criticizes the Syrian president’s repression of human rights and calls for a halt in attacks against civilians.