STOCKHOLM, 19 May — Full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development would constitute a critical piece of Palestine’s envisaged transition to a peaceful, independent and sustainable State, speakers participating in the opening session of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People in Stockholm, Sweden, said today.
STOCKHOLM, 19 May — It was simply “inconceivable” that Palestine would be able to achieve its sustainable development objectives while under occupation by Israel, the first plenary session of the United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People heard this afternoon.
Emphasizing that justice was a fundamental building block of sustainable peace, the General Assembly today adopted a consensus resolution welcoming the report of the International Criminal Court for 2014/2015 and encouraging further dialogue between that institution and the United Nations.
With 37 Member States having paid all their assessments so far this year, speakers in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today emphasized the need for all countries to fulfil their financial obligations to the United Nations — and warned of the impact on peacekeeping if they failed to do so.
Concluding a two-day high-level thematic debate today, speakers in the General Assembly urged greater political will and the strengthening of partnerships to swiftly put in place improvements to the international peace and security architecture proposed recently by key United Nations panels.
Identifying key threats and engaging in a strategic reflection about today’s challenges to international peace and security, speakers discussed the means available and institutions required for an effective collective security architecture as the General Assembly convened a high-level thematic debate on the topic.
The Fifth Committee (Budgetary and Administrative) heard today how the United Nations had sought to manage the costs of its far-flung peacekeeping missions, for which a budget of $8.25 billion has been proposed for 2016/17, down fractionally from the 2015/16 period.
Closing its thirty-eighth session this afternoon, the Committee on Information unanimously approved a report relaying two draft resolutions to the General Assembly, with a focus as in years past on increased multilingualism and support for the communications capabilities of developing countries.
Recent developments on the ground necessitated additional budgetary resources for the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) heard today, as it took up resources proposals for a pair of active peacekeeping operations, as well as the final budget performance of several closed missions.
DAKAR, 4 May — Amid expressions of frustration, calls for new approaches to end the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian stalemate took centre stage this afternoon as the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem concluded in Dakar.
