The U.N. General Assembly has unanimously approved a resolution calling for a global ban on female genital mutilation, a centuries-old practice stemming from the belief that circumcising girls controls women's sexuality and enhances fertility.

It also has been linked to religious beliefs, although Muslim and Christian leaders have spoken out against it.

The U.N. said in 2010 that about 70 million girls and women had undergone the procedure. The World Health Organization said about 6,000 girls were circumcised every day.

The resolution, adopted Thursday by consensus, calls the practice harmful and a serious threat to the psychological, sexual and reproductive health of women and girls.

It calls on the U.N.'s 193 member states to condemn the practice and launch education campaigns to eliminate it.