Speakers today urged respect for international humanitarian law — and upheld the two-State solution as the only sure path to peace in the Middle East — as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate on Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today began its general debate on Israeli practices which impact the human rights of Palestinians and other Arabs in occupied territories and concluded its consideration of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with speakers expressing alarm at the fast-rising death toll in Gaza and an upsurge in violence between settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the financial status of the $77.9 billion United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and the $2.16 billion capital master plan, with the latter drawing concerns over rising closeout costs due to an arbitration case with the plan’s construction manager.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country today, many speakers welcomed progress of the host country on issuing and renewing entry visas to representatives of certain States, while others pointed to unresolved issues that hinder the exercise of functions of representatives in connection with the United Nations.
In a half day of intense action, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today approved 10 draft resolutions on a range of topics, including homelessness, equal access to justice and combating glorification of Nazism and other practices contributing to contemporary forms of racism and xenophobia, which sparked debate about politicization of human rights issues and effective multilateralism.
The Chair of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today asked delegations to imagine a world without the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention or the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and said the picture would be gloomy.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) urgently requires sustainable financial support to continue its life-saving assistance in the Gaza Strip, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as speakers renewed calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and respect for international humanitarian law.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) sent the General Assembly 10 nominations for the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions today, also delivering the names of 15 additional candidates for three other bodies and recommending that the Chair of the Federal Court of Accounts of Brazil fill an upcoming vacancy in the Board of Auditors.
Member States today reiterated their profound trust in the International Court of Justice's integrity, independence and expertise as the General Assembly resumed its discussion on the matter, with speakers pointing out that the Court’s geographically and topically expanding caseload demonstrates its growing significance.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today forwarded 21 draft resolutions and 1 draft decision to the General Assembly, including a traditional text related to regional disarmament and security in the Mediterranean region, which, despite its approval, provoked debate among some Member States.
