The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) sent 12 draft resolutions to the General Assembly today, tackling a range of issues from corruption and crime prevention, social development and children’s rights, to the rights of indigenous peoples and racial discrimination.
Sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as issues of privacy in the digital age, were the subjects of close votes and contentious debate today in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) as it sent 12 draft resolutions to the General Assembly.
The General Assembly this morning adopted 10 resolutions, nine of them without a vote, encouraging deeper cooperation between the United Nations and various regional organizations to address emerging challenges in sustainable development, fighting terrorism and economic integration.
State judicial sovereignty, the bounds of international law, and differing perspectives as to whether sexual orientation should be considered a human right, came to the fore during Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) discussions today, as delegates approved six draft resolutions on extrajudicial executions, the right to peace and the use of mercenaries.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved three draft resolutions today, including “Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development” (document A/C.2/71/L.20/Rev.1).
An intense discussion on the international legal standing of the death penalty and national sovereign rights to determine domestic judicial systems dominated Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) proceedings today, as delegates approved an amended draft resolution calling for a moratorium on that practice, by a recorded 115 votes in favour to 38 against, with 31 abstentions.
Unanimously adopting its annual resolution in support of the Government and people of Afghanistan, the General Assembly today heard expressions of alarm over recent spikes in civilian casualties and the influence of violent extremists, as speakers vowed to help the conflict-affected nation achieve its untapped potential.
The General Assembly this morning adopted, without a vote, a resolution that strongly encouraged Member States and national, regional and local education authorities to integrate education for democracy — along with civic education, human rights instruction and education for sustainable development — into their curricula and to strengthen programmes aimed at the promotion of democratic values.
Delegates at today's Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) meeting discussed a proposed cost-neutral restructuring of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), aimed at shifting more of the Office’s work from its headquarters in Geneva to existing and proposed regional offices.
Humanitarian, socioeconomic and security conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory remained grave amid Israel’s continuing violations of human rights norms and United Nations resolutions, the Deputy Observer for the State of Palestine said today, as the Palestinian Rights Committee approved four draft resolutions for consideration by the General Assembly.
