The General Assembly elected María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés (Ecuador) today as President of its seventy-third session — making her only the fourth woman to helm the 193-member organ in its more than seven-decades-long history — while also electing 21 Vice-Presidents by acclamation.
Technology must act as a bridge, not a divide at a time when the world sought to leave no one behind while striving to realize common objectives in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Economic and Social Council heard today at its third annual multi‑stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Security Council today failed to adopt two competing draft resolutions on the recent spate of violence in the Middle East — put forward by the delegations of the United States and Kuwait on behalf of the Arab Group, respectively — capping a month of protests and escalating tension on the ground and within the 15‑member organ itself.
The Security Council voted this afternoon to renew for 45 days the sanctions it imposed in 2015 on those blocking peace in South Sudan, with the option of considering further measures — including an arms embargo — if fighting continues amid ongoing mediation efforts, or if there remains no viable political agreement.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today advocated streamlining processes and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy to best equip the United Nations to deliver on its mandates as the Secretary‑General’s Chef de Cabinet laid out his proposal to decentralize the management structures at Headquarters.
To a burst of applause, the General Assembly adopted today a landmark consensus resolution on repositioning the United Nations development system, hailed by Secretary‑General António Guterres as ushering in the most ambitious and comprehensive transformation of those activities in decades.
Events unfolding in and around Gaza marked the most serious escalation of violence since the 2014 conflict between Hamas and Israel, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today, as he called for intensified pressure on Israelis and Palestinians to advance a just and sustainable peace.
The Committee on Non‑Governmental Organizations today suspended its 2018 resumed session pending one final day of work next month when its report to the Economic and Social Council will be finalized for adoption.
On the heels of largely successful democratic elections — viewed by many around the world as a historic turning point — Iraq still faced such challenges as continued terrorist threats and sectarian divisions, which must remain a priority on the international agenda, stressed the senior United Nations official in the country as he briefed the Security Council today.
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations recommended 6 entities for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council today, the sixth day of its resumed session, while deferring action on 73 others.
