General Assembly: Meetings Coverage

The General Assembly held a plenary meeting this morning to pay tribute to the memory of the United Nations’ sixth Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

Concluding the general debate for the session, speakers at the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization called for renewed political will to overcome divergent views and hammer out an agreement on how to move forward in several areas of maintaining international peace and security.

The need to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers, particularly given the increasing complexity of mission mandates, was of paramount importance the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations heard today, as it concluded its general debate.

The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization opened its 2016 session today with delegations debating questions related to economic sanctions, reform and working methods.

The deadly links between violent extremism and extreme poverty could be broken through the creation of jobs, a reduction in inequalities and by building just and inclusive societies, the General Assembly heard today.

United Nations peace operations must keep pace with and respond to new and evolving challenges — including asymmetric warfare, cyber threats and pandemics — the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations heard today, as it opened its 2016 substantive session.

The General Assembly decided today that it would devote more time to examining the Secretary-General’s proposed plan of action to prevent violent extremism, as diverging views emerged on some key details.

The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission must take forward the outcomes of the latest reviews on peace operations, and link its work to implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, that body’s new Chair said today, at the opening of its 2016 session.

Palestinians were losing hope after nearly 50 years of occupation by Israel, but despite the challenges, the United Nations remained committed to creating the conditions for the resumption of meaningful negotiations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Palestinian Rights Committee today as it opened its 2016 session.

Precious gemstones were meant for development, not catalysing civil war, the General Assembly heard today as it adopted a resolution recognizing the devastating human impact of conflicts fuelled by the trade in illicit diamonds, while reaffirming support for the Kimberley Process initiative aimed at halting their flow into legitimate markets.