General Assembly: Meetings Coverage

In a busy day that kept issues of territorial disputes at the forefront, the Special Committee on Decolonization today adopted a consensus resolution reiterating that the way to end the “special and particular” colonial situation in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) was through the peaceful, negotiated settlement of the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom.

Acting on the recommendation of the Security Council, the General Assembly this afternoon unanimously appointed Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for a second five-year term beginning 1 January 2012. In a draft resolution adopted by acclamation, the Assembly also expressed its appreciation for Mr. Ban’s effective and dedicated service during his first term. After taking the oath of office, Mr. Ban said the Assembly had given him a great honour that was “beyond expression”.

The Palestinian Rights Committee this morning approved the agenda of its upcoming Brussels meeting on advancing the Middle East peace process, as it also heard reports on previous international meetings, as well as on unemployment and access restrictions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Bearing in mind that 25 July marked the 113th anniversary of the intervention in Puerto Rico by the United States, the Special Committee on Decolonization today adopted a consensus text calling on the United States to expedite a process that would allow Puerto Ricans to fully exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, in line with General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) (1960).

Five years after the creation of the Human Rights Council as the United Nations’ key forum for tackling entrenched human rights concerns around the world, the General Assembly today decided to maintain the 47-member body’s status as one of its subsidiary organs, concluding a year-long review of its work and functioning within the Organization, carried out in Geneva and New York.

Acting on the recommendation of its General Committee, the General Assembly today decided to include on the agenda of its current session an item on the “appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations”, paving the way for the 192-member body to take up that issue before the expiration of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s first term of office on 31 December.

Citing many examples of real progress around the world that testified to the soundness of the “people-first” approach embodied in the Millennium Development Goals, senior United Nations officials today said that, with the 2015 deadline for achieving those ambitious targets rapidly approaching, stakeholders must not be afraid to “think big” in shaping the final push, even as they planned strategies to alleviate the suffering of millions “who will need our attention come 2016 and beyond”.

Resuming its 2011 session this morning, the Special Committee on Decolonization approved requests for hearings from several Non-Self-Governing Territories in the coming days and approved without a vote three draft resolutions concerning the transmission and dissemination of information on decolonization.

Welcoming the progress made in the prevention, management and resolution of conflict and in post-conflict peacebuilding in a number of African countries, the General Assembly today called for intensified, better coordinated efforts between national Governments, the African Union, subregional organizations, the United Nations system and partners “with a view to achieving further progress towards the goal of a conflict-free Africa”.

Francoise Barré-Sinoussi, 2008 Nobel Laureate in Medicine for helping to discover the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), led strong calls at the United Nations today for integrating the global response to AIDS into broader health agendas, and for taking advantage of every opportunity to reach those living with HIV or at risk of infection whenever and wherever they interacted with local health-care delivery systems.