With the capital master plan in its final phase after nearly 15 years and an investment of $2.31 billion, the United Nations must take stock of lessons learned and best practices from the ambitious Headquarters renovation effort to guide the implementation plans of other capital projects and avoid losses, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) heard today.
Taking up the topic of the effects of armed conflicts on treaties, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates today revisited the International Law Commission’s draft articles and tackled the question of whether domestic conflict should be treated differently than international conflict in the context of treaties.
Agreeing that strategic partnerships were vital in financing development goals, speakers also highlighted the need for transparent business principles and respect for national priorities, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up global partnerships today.
Many delegates expressed concern about the digital divide between developed and developing countries, calling for balanced use of both new and traditional media to ensure democratic engagement with the United Nations, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on questions relating to information.
The number of internally displaced persons had doubled to 40.3 million since 2000, and in many cases they had been forced to flee their homes by conflict and violence, the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today.
Burgeoning military expenditures were among an array of worrying trends, delegates told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, as they highlighted the development challenges confronting Member States even as they sought to curb the global proliferation of conventional weapons.
The New Partnership for Africa’s Development — now fully embedded in the development paradigms of both the United Nations and the African Union — remained the “rallying point” in Africa’s pursuit of growth, the General Assembly heard today, as delegates drew attention to security concerns and other obstacles still facing the continent.
Civil society had a crucial role to play in protecting human rights while countering terrorism, and in assuring the independence of judges and lawyers, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today as special mandate holders on those topics engaged in a spirited back‑and‑forth with delegates.
Accelerated efforts to address rapid urbanization would be necessary in implementing the New Urban Agenda and realizing the Sustainable Development Goals, delegates said today, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‑Habitat).
Stemming the steady flow of conventional arms into vulnerable regions required proper export controls and improvements in the implementation of existing instruments, delegates told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today during a debate on the issue.
