Tasked with addressing and alleviating the largest scale of human suffering — 130 million dependent on aid for survival — since the founding of the United Nations, the General Assembly took up a plethora of humanitarian issues today, adopting five resolutions on a sector whose workers were increasingly in demand and danger.
Delegates supported the restructuring of the body charged with enhancing the Organization’s partnership with the African Union on peace and security matters, but asked for more details on staffing and operations as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined the Secretary-General’s proposal on the matter.
Adopting two resolutions related to the conservation and management of the Earth’s oceans, the General Assembly today proclaimed 2 May World Tuna Day, spotlighting the vital socioeconomic importance of the widely consumed fish to peoples around the globe.
Upon the recommendation of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), the General Assembly adopted 35 resolutions and 2 decisions today, on issues including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and decolonization.
Heralded in ancient times for its ability to bring warring parties together, modern sport could be a powerful enabler of sustainable development and a tool for empowering young people, the General Assembly heard this morning.
Speakers highlighted both the successes and serious issues related to implementation as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined progress over the past year in rolling out Umoja, the United Nations ambitious business management project.
Following the recommendation of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), the General Assembly today adopted 68 draft resolutions and decisions, among them ones targeting the recent proliferation of banned weapons alongside the development of new and emerging threats.
A total of 20 donors today announced contributions, or their intention to contribute, to the 2017 budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as officials urged stable financing for the Agency amid devastating conflicts and violence in the Middle East.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today criticized the Secretary-General’s budget outline for the biennium 2018‑2019 for what they viewed as a lack of strategic depth and clarity on estimated costs for several initiatives that had yet to be considered by the General Assembly.
While the world had seen sweeping changes in the decade since the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — one of the most widely-ratified human rights instruments in history — speakers today told the General Assembly that more remained to be done to eradicate discrimination around the globe and even the playing field for persons with disabilities.
