General Assembly

Taking action on decolonization issues today, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved 19 draft resolutions, five of them by recorded vote, for adoption by the General Assembly.

As international and non-international armed conflict becomes more complex, the universal ratification of the three Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions remains vital for the promotion of international humanitarian law, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today.

Seventy years after the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, extremism and intolerance are overshadowing moves towards democracy, delegates told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) in continued debate on the promotion and protection of human rights today.

Delegates today condemned the recent use of chemical weapons in Kuala Lumpur, Salisbury and towns in Syria, exchanging views on the establishment of an international mechanism to determine the perpetrators responsible for these crimes and administer justice, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) entered the penultimate day of its general debate.

The General Assembly decided today to provide additional rights and privileges of participation to the State of Palestine when it assumes its position as chair of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China for the year 2019.

The cash position of the Organization’s regular budget is precarious, the United Nations senior management official told members of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today as she laid out the Organization’s key financial indicators for 2018.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) today, with delegates commending the progress of the various Working Groups and highlighting the finalization and adoption of a number of important legal texts.

Spiking insecurity and instability in Africa’s Sahel region indicates an urgent need to resolve the long-standing dispute over Western Sahara, delegates told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, as it concluded its general debate on decolonization.

Renewable energy sources are the least expensive options in boosting electricity access, reducing air pollution and cutting carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, speakers stressed as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded sustainable development today.

Early warnings must trigger rapid responses to human rights abuses, the top United Nations human rights official told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as it began its deliberations on the promotion and protection of human rights.