SAINT GEORGE'S, Grenada, 9 May — As the Pacific Regional Seminar on Decolonization opened today, participants called for renewed focus on supporting the Non-Self-Governing Territories to achieve the objectives laid out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, bearing in mind the need for greater collaboration in addressing the unique challenges faced by each Territory.
Host countries of United Nations peacekeeping operations stressed today that continued support for the Blue Helmets was indispensable for sustaining peace and security, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) examined the funding needs of five missions in strife‑torn and post‑conflict countries.
The Special Committee on decolonization will hold the 2018 Pacific Regional Seminar in Saint George’s, Grenada, from 9 to 11 May with a view to accelerating action in implementation of the Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism (2011-2020).
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today opened the second part of a resumed seventy‑second session which was expected to focus on the multibillion financing needs of more than a dozen active peacekeeping missions for a 12‑month fiscal period beginning 1 July.
Expressing concern about widening global inequality and deepening divides between peoples, speakers addressing the Committee on Information today urged the Department of Public Information to position itself as a critical resource for — and advocate of — the world’s most marginalized communities, as the 115‑member body entered the second day of its fortieth session.
The Department of Public Information was undergoing a process of “review and reform” of how it communicated United Nations values in a world where trust in major institutions was increasingly difficult to maintain, and “fake” stories competed with legitimate news for public attention, the Committee on Information heard today as it opened its fortieth session.
The General Assembly capped its high-level debate on peacebuilding and sustaining peace today with a consensus resolution welcoming the Secretary-General’s January 2018 report on those activities and deciding to further discuss his recommendations to address existing gaps.
The General Assembly continued its high‑level debate on peacebuilding and sustaining peace today with speakers underscoring the value of the Peacebuilding Fund, a people‑centred approach to human security and the need to tackle poverty and other causes of violence by way of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Member States must go beyond resolutions and statements and recommit to a new approach to peace, the General Assembly heard today during a high-level debate that explored opportunities for strengthening the United Nations work on sustaining peace.
The President of the General Assembly, Miroslav Lajčák (Slovakia), will convene a high-level meeting on peacebuilding and sustaining peace on 24 and 25 April 2018 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
