Spotlighting the devastating cost of corruption to economies, societies and individuals around the globe — in particular during times of crisis and painstaking recovery — the General Assembly today adopted a sweeping Political Declaration with blueprints to help countries tackle bribery, money‑laundering, abuse of power and a raft of related crimes.
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General Assembly
The Security Council adopted its annual report to the General Assembly today, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2020.
On the heels of early consultations that many delegates described as being rife with challenges, the General Assembly today adopted a resolution laying out next steps for multilateral negotiations to draft a landmark global treaty against the rising threat of cybercrime.
Delegates welcomed the recent ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and urged stakeholders to use the agreement as an opportunity to reopen dialogue and address the root causes of the conflict, as the General Assembly wrapped up its special debate on the situation in the Middle East this morning.
The General Assembly, acting without a vote, adopted two draft resolutions and a draft decision today, including one to convene an international meeting in Stockholm on 2 and 3 June 2022 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm that gave birth to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
With the Security Council unable to respond to the worst round of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians in years, and as welcome news of a ceasefire agreement broke, speakers in the General Assembly today demanded an immediate halt to the violence and intensified efforts to restart peace talks that advance a two‑State solution to a conflict nearly as old as the United Nations itself.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly meeting on the situation in the Middle East and the question of Palestine, today:
The current volatile moment in the Israel-Palestine conflict must be used to mobilize political will and ensure accountability for Israel’s violations, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People heard today amid calls for a ceasefire in the region.
The Committee on Information, which oversees the work of the Department of Global Communications, concluded its annual session today with the adoption of its report to the General Assembly, which includes two resolutions for formal adoption by the 193-nation organ.
The General Assembly adopted four resolutions today on issues ranging from security to sustainable development, including a consensus text declaring 2022 the International Year of Glass and directing policy attention to its importance in various sectors, from aerospace and automotive industries to health care and architecture.