General Assembly: Meetings Coverage

Meeting concurrently with the Security Council, the General Assembly today elected four judges from an initial pool of six candidates to the International Court of Justice for terms of nine years beginning 6 February 2018. 

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved three draft resolutions on decolonization matters today, two by recorded vote, also concluding its general debate on Israel’s practices in occupied Arab territories.

Negotiations aimed at improving the Security Council’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to emerging challenges must remain a transparent, Member State‑driven process free of politicization, delegates emphasized this morning, as the General Assembly concluded its annual debate on the 15‑member organ’s reform.

A sharp increase in settlement construction activity fuelled by the passing of a “regularization law” and combined with the demolition of Palestinian homes had led to an atmosphere of despair and hopelessness among Palestinians in the occupied territories, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) passed six draft resolutions today, covering a range of issues, from prison reform and counter‑terrorism efforts, to human trafficking and alternative development.

Lack of political will on the part of an “elite few” continued to threaten efforts to reform the Security Council, the General Assembly heard today, as delegates warned that the resulting inertia risked jeopardizing the 15‑member organ’s credibility and that of the entire United Nations system.

After approving two draft resolutions addressing the effects of armed conflicts on treaties and a request for observer status for a fund supporting indigenous matters, the Sixth Committee (Legal) capped off its penultimate meeting of the current session with delegates reflecting on how best to improve the Committee’s working methods, especially its scheduling.

Speakers welcomed new initiatives in translation services and the recruitment and training of language professionals, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budget) today discussed ways to manage United Nations conferences and official document production more efficiently.

Urging broader support for new financing mechanisms, delegates warned today of a humanitarian crisis should the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) be forced to scale back services because of a financing deficit, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate on that Agency’s work.

Some 20 countries pledged a total of $398.98 million at today’s United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities, reflecting a significant decrease from 2016.