Highlighting progress during the first year of President Gustavo Petro’s Administration, the Special Representative for Colombia, in his briefing today to the Security Council, urged the Government, as well as the former combatants of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP), and other stakeholders to prioritize constructive dialogue to further consolidate peace in the country still marred by violence.
Amid a growing number of humanitarian crises worldwide, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) highlighted dangers faced by human rights defenders and the need for sufficient staff and funding in coping with victims, as it continued its discussion on the promotion of human rights today. Amid a growing number of humanitarian crises worldwide, in his keynote address, General Assembly President Dennis Francis highlighted deteriorating respect for human rights in many parts of the world. He emphasized the dangers faced by human rights defenders and said that discrimination based on sex has doubled globally. Switching to humanitarian action, he said 2023 has been marked by a “stream of humanitarian crises”, the latest being the recent earthquake in Afghanistan and the deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
Positive developments in the formal and informal systems for resolving workplace disputes within the Organization over the past year must be joined by further improvements, speakers stressed as the Sixth Committee (Legal) today considered the administration of justice at the United Nations.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today approved nineteen draft resolutions, including five by recorded vote, as it wrapped up its general debate on decolonization.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), continuing its general debate on decolonization and related items today, heard speakers from Africa calling for more dynamism on the issue — and a more proactive approach from the Committee — in delivering the promise of self-determination to the Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Treaties are being trampled, the tenets of the world order are being challenged, the UN's disarmament machinery is mired in chronic paralysis and boxed in by lethargy, and business as usual has brought humankind to the current dangerous stage, delegates in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) warn during the penultimate day of their general debate.
Despite many commodity-dependent countries underperforming in development and falling further into debt, the global economy lacks an adequate response to the crisis, a Nobel Laureate told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and the Economic and Social Council as they met today for their annual joint meeting.
Speakers underscored the importance of upholding the Organization’s reputation by ensuring United Nations officials and experts are held accountable for crimes committed when on mission, while also highlighting the need for predeployment training and victim-centred approaches, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the Secretary-General’s reports on the matter.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today began its line-by-line consideration of a proposed $3.3 billion regular budget for 2024, which includes 10,334 posts and would likely swing upward after re-costing by the end of next year. Secretary-General António Guterres introduced the reports detailing the proposed 2024 figures, which make up the Organization’s fifth annual budget.
With long-overdue financial reforms and an ambitious federal budget, Iraq’s Government continues to forge progress in tackling the challenges it faces, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, adding that more efforts are required to address its rapidly growing population’s needs.
