Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) called for affordable visitor fees for the historic Africa Hall at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa and for effective oversight of the Hall’s renovation as well as that of the conference services facilities at the United Nations office at Nairobi, stressing the need to push forward both projects in a timely manner.
In progress at UNHQ
General Assembly: Meetings Coverage
As the General Assembly today concluded its discussion on Security Council reform, Member States once again broadly agreed on the need to modernize the 15-member body to maintain the relevance of the United Nations in the twenty-first century but diverged over the appropriate use of the Council’s veto authority, especially in instances of mass atrocities.
Concluding its seventy-seventh session today, the Sixth Committee (Legal) upheld its tradition of consensus and approved without a vote 12 draft resolutions, a draft decision and a draft letter, even as some delegates spotlighted the emerging trend of that mechanism’s failure to adequately represent substantive — albeit diverging — discussions in the Committee concerning the future of international law.
The third session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction concluded today at the New York Headquarters of the United Nations, with its Chair expressing confidence that sustained efforts towards its objective will ultimately bear fruit.
The General Assembly opened its annual debate on Security Council reform today, with speakers once again renewing their appeals for enlarging the 15-member organ and updating its working methods to make it more transparent, inclusive, representative, accountable and effective in a world gripped by a cascade of interlocking crises.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved 12 draft resolutions as it concluded its work today, including texts addressing the right of peoples to self-determination, racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, and the world drug problem.
Troubled by repeated concerns raised by the Board of Auditors, delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today urged Secretariat officials to better manage the Organization’s financial resources while efficiently and quickly carrying out all recommendations of the United Nations top auditing watchdog.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved six draft resolutions today, five of which focused on country-specific situations, while the last drew attention to the rising number of refugees and displaced persons in Africa.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved 10 draft resolutions today on a range of topics, including the rights of persons with disabilities, eradicating female genital mutilation, protecting children from bullying and ending organ trafficking.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today sent the General Assembly a draft decision on the United Nations common system as delegates considered the International Civil Service Commission’s (ICSC) proposals for the coming year and stressed the need for a cohesive system to manage a diverse global staff.