General Assembly

Common ground had emerged even as diverging views, multiple proposals and intense debate continued with a view to hammering out a legally-binding conventional arms agreement, delegates were told today, during an update on negotiations, as the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty neared the end of its third week of meetings.

New Zealand continued to uphold its proud record in women’s empowerment, with a high ranking in the Global Gender Gap report for 2011, its continuing efforts to increase female leadership in politics and the private sector and its solid progress in closing the gender pay gap, members of that country’s delegation told the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today.

Through a “juridical revolution” and a range of comprehensive assistance programmes, Mexico was gaining ground in its bid to end violence against women, including murder, bolster their political representation at the most senior levels and slash maternal mortality, members of that country’s delegation told the Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee today.

With women outpacing men in education and leading the country from the highest political offices, Jamaica was taking great strides towards gender equality, members of that country’s delegation told the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today.

Bulgaria’s adoption of a gender-equality strategy and its enactment of legislation to combat domestic violence and discrimination had bolstered women’s status in politics and the workplace, led to better protection from abuse, and established a viable avenue for seeking redress, members of that country’s delegation said today while presenting its combined fourth to seventh periodic reports to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

The $2.2 billion worth of arms and ammunition that found their way into targeted countries in spite of United Nations and regional arms embargoes imposed on Liberia and other countries was proof that the current system was not working, the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty heard today as it concluded the high-level segment of its discussions.

By strengthening its national legislative and policy frameworks, ratifying international conventions, and advancing regional cooperation, Indonesia was making considerable progress in promoting and protecting women’s rights, the leader of that country’s delegation told the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today.

BANGKOK, 11 July — The 54 countries of the Asia-Pacific region could assist in resolving the question of Palestine, not only in addressing the obstacles, but in removing them and translating their support for the two-State solution into recognition of Palestinian statehood, a representative of Indonesia told the Asian and Pacific Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace this evening as it concluded its deliberations.

BANGKOK, 11 July — Settlements were “a removable obstacle”, and of the 130,000 settlers in the West Bank, excluding East Jerusalem, to be evacuated in order to create the Palestinian State, most would be willing to do so in return for generous compensation by the Israeli Government, the United Nations Asian and Pacific Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace heard this morning.

Despite cuts in development assistance due to the global economic crisis, ingrained prejudices towards women and cultural barriers confronting them, Guyana had rooted the empowerment and protection of women firmly in its national policies, legislation, educational and social programmes, as well as health initiatives, members of that country’s delegation told the Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee today.