Nothing would be more noble than honouring victims of slavery — and recognizing the remarkable contributions of their descendants over the centuries — in the lands to which they were transported, the General Assembly heard today as it commemorated the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Equity, innovation and investment must steer the global drive to build climate-resilient societies and economies powered by clean engines of growth, speakers today told the General Assembly’s high-level Sustainable Development Goal action event.
The General Assembly commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination today with a debate that focused on racial profiling and incitement to hatred, including in the context of migration, in which speakers underscored the responsibility of States to address a scourge seen to be on the rise worldwide.
Concluding its work today, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations approved the draft report of its 2017 session (document A/AC.121/2017/L.3).
Delegates questioned the nature of proposed additional travel and consultancy costs for the United Nations first-ever conference on migration, scheduled for 2018, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) examined reports detailing the event’s budget requirements.
The General Assembly today adopted a resolution committed to a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse throughout the United Nations, stressing the importance of States holding perpetrators accountable.
Delegates urged greater application of United Nations policies to crack down on fraud and corruption and results-based management, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined progress in establishing an accountability system in the United Nations Secretariat.
Speakers commended the substantial savings rendered in constructing a new facility at the Arusha premises of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, but expressed concern over delays in implementing the $8.8 million project, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) examined the sixth progress reports on the subject.
The General Assembly today appointed a member of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions that helps the 193 delegates from the United Nations Member States manage the Organization’s vast human resources and its finances.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) opened the first part of its resumed seventy-first session today with a review of its 2017 provisional work programme, the 2016-2017 programme budget for special political missions concerning Syria and the status of implementing the Organization’s information and communications technology (ICT) strategy, among other matters.
