The General Assembly today adopted five texts on matters with financial implications, ranging from the downgrading of standards of accommodation for staff air travel to the modalities of a special meeting on the global fight against tuberculosis, in line with the recommendations of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary).
Citing allegations that illegal toxins had been used in a recent incident in the United Kingdom — and by various parties to Middle East conflicts — delegates today voiced alarm over mounting threats posed by chemical weapons and their nuclear and biological counterparts, as the Disarmament Commission concluded its annual general debate.
As a universal body with a mandate to make every effort to reach consensus, the Disarmament Commission could build on overcoming its 18‑year‑long deadlock to make a unique and constructive contribution to further signs of progress, from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s commitment to denuclearization to the reduction of strategic nuclear forces by the Russian Federation and the United States, delegates heard at the opening of its 2018 session, launching a new 3‑year cycle.
Concluding the first part of its resumed seventy-second session, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today approved — without a vote — five draft texts, including one on the rationalization of the use of the Organization’s travel resources.
The Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine today urged States to guard against the “creeping danger” of a one-State reality, as the Palestinian Rights Committee considered the situation on the ground in the territory occupied by Israel and the “destabilizing” impact of sharp humanitarian cuts by the United States.
It was important to consider the costs associated with deploying female peacekeepers, post-deployment medical expenses and the unique challenges faced by Blue Helmet personnel working in particularly dangerous environments, speakers said today as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) discussed the findings of a survey on the reimbursement rate for troop- and police-contributing countries.
While the abominable buying and selling of human beings had been abolished some 200 years ago, the nefarious impacts of that practice were still present in everyday realities, speakers stressed today as the General Assembly marked the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
Speakers today called for urgent action to stop the rampant rise of xenophobia, racism and intolerance, as the General Assembly commemorated the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed on 21 March.
The scheme to restructure the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) was a winning proposal that would help the Organization better respond to Member States’ growing demand for assistance in fulfilling their human rights commitments, delegates told the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) took up the air travel policies of the United Nations on day two of its resumed seventy‑second session today, with delegates voicing support for the Secretary‑General’s proposal that high‑ranking officials fly business class — rather than first class — to help rein in one of the most expensive aspects of the Organization’s budget.
