General Assembly

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today approved a draft resolution calling for the prompt demolition of a temporary conference building on the United Nations main campus in New York.

The General Assembly today reaffirmed its common desire and commitment to the vision of the World Summit on the Information Society to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society, as the 193-member body concluded its two-day high-level meeting reviewing the summit outcomes. 

Bridging the vast digital divide that existed between countries and genders, as well as the importance of cybersecurity in today’s increasingly dangerous world were among the themes highlighted today as the General Assembly held its 10-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society.

JAKARTA, 15 December — As the two-day International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem concluded this morning, experts in a plenary session on historical and contemporary models of coexistence provided a glimpse of the city’s past and present while offering suggestions for the future.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today approved a draft resolution calling for action to address the weaknesses in the United Nations identified by the Organization’s main external auditing body.  The Committee also scrutinized the Secretary-General’s request for additional resources in the coming biennium to implement the post-2015 development goals.

Affirming the role of the Sixth Committee (Legal) in promoting international law and justice and holding to that body’s tradition of approving texts without a vote, the General Assembly today unanimously adopted 11 resolutions and one decision on the programme of work, as recommended in 17 reports of the Committee.

JAKARTA, 14 December — The two-day International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem opened in Jakarta, Indonesia, this morning under the theme “Addressing the present and shaping the future” of the city also known as Al-Quds Al-Sharif.

JAKARTA, 14 December — The International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem, which opened here this morning, held a plenary session in the afternoon, examining the status of religious sites under local and international law, protection of civilians and the current situation and its genesis.

Concluding its work for the main part of the General Assembly’s seventieth session today, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) unanimously approved 18 draft resolutions on topics ranging from international financial systems to women in development and beyond.

Marking the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development, the General Assembly today heard speakers emphasizing the importance of a human-centred approach to development, many citing examples of goals achieved through successful national policies, while others also mentioned growing challenges to progress.