Speakers today welcomed a surge in the market value of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, 70 years after its establishment, but reiterated concerns about a backlog of payments to beneficiaries as well as governance issues, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) tackled the Organization’s multibillion‑dollar pension system, its operations and performance.
Member States pledged their strong support for the indispensable role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy, transferring technology to developing countries and ensuring nuclear safety, as the General Assembly considered its annual report.
Acting by consensus today, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved peacebuilding- and decolonization‑related drafts as it concluded its general debate on the comprehensive review of special political missions.
Concluding its programme of work, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved 27 draft resolutions and decisions, including two separate proposals to create working groups within the disarmament machinery to develop rules for States on responsible behaviour in cyberspace.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today introduced 31 draft resolutions and approved five of them, including one calling on Israel to cease its occupation of the Palestinian Territory and Syrian Golan.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved its first‑ever draft resolution on combating trafficking in human organs today, with Spain’s delegate introducing it as a “novel” approach to crime prevention.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today wanted to better understand how ongoing arbitration proceedings preventing a final close-out of the paperwork surrounding the multi-billion-dollar renovation of the United Nations Headquarters will impact the project’s final cost.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution on the effects of atomic radiation without a vote today, while voting to reject proposed amendments to its provisions on criteria for joining the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) sent eight draft resolutions to the General Assembly today, covering a range of topics, from literacy and volunteering, to the annual designation of 4 January as World Braille Day beginning in 2019.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved eight draft texts, including one calling for the universalization of the Arms Trade Treaty and the implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions.
