General Assembly: Meetings Coverage

Member States’ timely payment of assessed contributions and full reimbursement to troop-contributing countries was critical in maintaining the Organization’s financial health, delegations told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today as they reviewed a briefing on the Organization’s budgetary affairs.

After placing great demands on the environment for decades, “we stand on the mountain of development and, for the first time, Mother Earth is sending invoices back”, the General Assembly heard today during a high-level thematic debate aimed at balancing environment and development by mapping out a practical and policy pathway that had at its core the interdependency between water and energy.

As the General Assembly took action on a resolution addressing the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, delegations strongly condemned the ongoing violence and called for involved parties to immediately end the hostilities on all sides, and work together for an inclusive Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, pluralistic political system.

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today scrutinized the Secretariat’s various reports on cross-cutting aspects of United Nations peacekeeping operations and their support account, most delegates hailed progress made towards stamping out sexual abuse by peacekeepers and implementing the Global Field Support Strategy, but offered divergent views on the peacekeeping budget proposed for the July 2013 to June 2014 period.

Given its transnational nature, combating the scourge of human trafficking required utmost international cooperation and coordination, several speakers said in the General Assembly today as it continued its high-level meeting on the appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

Human trafficking was a “vicious chain that binds victims to criminals”, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today during the General Assembly’s high-level meeting on the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

The United Nations financial situation “was healthy” at the end of 2012 thanks to the efforts of many Member States and continued to depend on those States meeting their monetary obligations “in full and on time”, the Organization’s top management official told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning.

Acting on the recommendation of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the General Assembly this morning decided to adjust for the first time in a decade reimbursement rates to countries contributing troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations as part of a broad package to create a credible, predictable and equitable reimbursement system.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today was briefed by the United Nations Controller on the preparation of the 2014/2015 programme budget that would reflect a $100 million reduction to the $5.49 billion previously outlined by the Secretary-General.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning took action on a contentious text concerning reimbursement rates to troop-contributing countries that had delayed conclusion of the earlier part of its resumed session, and began the second part of its session, which is aimed at approving a peacekeeping budget for the year 2013/14.