One of the world’s most environmentally degraded areas, the Sahel is suffering from a rise in intercommunal conflict over resources depleted by desertification, drought and other climatic extremes, speakers told a joint meeting of the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission today.
Discriminatory practices, excessive use of force and collective punishment against Palestinians are leading to a rapid deterioration of the human rights and humanitarian situation across the occupied territories, speakers told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today.
Speakers explored on the multidimensional nature of resilience and proposed forward‑looking solutions that could help vulnerable small island developing States to confront hurricanes, typhoons, drought and other impacts of climate change, during a special meeting of the Economic and Social Council today.
Despite an ongoing Ebola outbreak and continued attacks by armed groups, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is nevertheless on track to hold critical elections as planned on 23 December, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today, as delegates expressed hope that a peaceful handover of power could bring longed-for stability to some 85 million people.
Briefing on Iraqi progress in fighting terrorism, reducing sectarianism and peacefully transferring power, the United Nations top official for the country stressed, in the Security Council today, the critical importance of international support to the new Government for its efforts to deliver basic services as well as to improve security.
With the rising cost of inaction in the Sahel, the international community must keep its eyes on the prospect of peace, the Peacebuilding Commission heard today as it opened its fifth annual session.
Delegates called today for sustainable financing to secure the future of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), also urging enhanced efficiency and reduced costs on its part, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate on that Agency’s work.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) faces the greatest financial predicament in its history this year following the abrupt end to funding by the United States, its Commissioner‑General told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today.
Seven decades into the world’s grand experiment in multilateralism — with the United Nations firmly at its core — a rising tide of nationalism and deepening divisions now threaten to derail strides made in reducing poverty and preventing a cataclysmic world war, the Security Council heard today, as it discussed ways to further strengthen international relations and combat complex global threats.
Speakers today welcomed a surge in the market value of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, 70 years after its establishment, but reiterated concerns about a backlog of payments to beneficiaries as well as governance issues, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) tackled the Organization’s multibillion‑dollar pension system, its operations and performance.
