General Assembly

Acting by consensus, the General Assembly today adopted an oral decision on Security Council reform, which allowed for continuing discussion on that subject during its forthcoming seventy‑third session.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution on peacekeeping today, endorsing the proposals and conclusions of the report of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations.  It also elected a Vice-Chair to its Bureau.

On its concluding day, the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem focused on two issues:  challenges faced by Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem, including in the realms of education, employment and entrepreneurship; and the international community’s support for Palestinian rights in the city.

The fifth International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem opened in Rabat, Morocco, on 26 June with a call by King Mohamed VI of Morocco and Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee for a greater rallying of diplomatic efforts to secure binding international resolutions that protected the city and safeguarded its spiritual, cultural and legal character.

On the second day of the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem participants discussed the political status of Palestinians in East Jerusalem, the question of Jerusalem in international law and the obligations of Member States.

Speakers shed light on their respective efforts to combat radicalization and violent extremism, as the General Assembly wrapped up its review of the Global Counter‑Terrorism Strategy today.

The world could not afford to underestimate the threat of terrorism, the General Assembly heard today as it adopted by consensus a resolution stressing the need for countries to join forces, with many Member States reiterating that no one country nor Government could tackle the scourge alone.

A total of 20 donors today announced contributions, or their intention to contribute, to the 2018 budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as officials called for stable financing for the Agency amid devastating conflicts and violence in the Middle East.

Preventing atrocity crimes was not only essential in humanitarian terms but also economically more effective than crisis response, speakers stressed as the General Assembly today opened its debate on the responsibility to protect civilians and avert genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.

The General Assembly, meeting concurrently with the Security Council today, elected Yuji Iwasawa (Japan) to the International Court of Justice until 5 February 2021.