General Assembly

The General Assembly decided today to reiterate its call for the achievement of just and lasting peace in the Middle East while also failing to adopt a text condemning actions by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza.

Speakers in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today requested clarity on the benefits deriving from the Umoja enterprise resource planning project — and reiterated their concern about its spiralling cost and implementation delays — as the Secretariat made its case for an additional $15.5 million to complete the ambitious initiative by the end of 2019.

Speakers today warned of escalating violence as the General Assembly adopted its annual resolution pledging to support the people and Government of Afghanistan.

Aligning itself with the recommendations of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), the General Assembly adopted 63 resolutions and 4 decisions today, bringing to a close its consideration of the current arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation issues on its agenda alongside emerging cybersecurity and information technology threats.

World leaders today challenged models of development shaped by wealthy States as the General Assembly held a high-level meeting on gaps and impediments faced by middle-income countries in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The General Assembly would express concern that virtual assets are increasingly being used for illicit activities in 1 of 11 draft resolutions and a draft decision the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today approved as it concluded its work for the main part of the General Assembly’s seventy-third session.

The General Assembly today adopted two resolutions promoting the importance of sport as a unifier and proclaiming 24 January the International Day of Education, as it also heard a briefing on progress in the investigation into the death of former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld.

The General Assembly today concluded its annual debate on the question of Palestine and the situation in the Middle East by adopting six resolutions — including one calling for a final peace settlement to the Israeli‑Palestinian conflict — with some speakers warning against biased, one‑sided texts.

Enhancing and expanding developing countries’ access to pro‑poor technologies are among a range of targeted measures the General Assembly would promote, according to the provisions of 1 of 12 draft resolutions the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved today.

The international community must take urgent action to end the suffering of the Palestinian people, ensure that Israel abides by all international laws and promote the conditions where two‑State talks can flourish, the General Assembly heard today as it began a debate on the question of Palestine.