Forests and their “hidden harvest” of products, ecosystems and services — critical to the survival of the planet and its people — remained woefully underfunded and undervalued, even as States forged ahead to meet other environmental and climate goals, the United Nations Forum on Forests heard on the second day of its annual session.
The cessation of hostilities in South Sudan, agreed in 2017, showed no sign of implementation, the Under‑Secretary‑General for Peacekeeping Operations told the Security Council today, saying a ceasefire was “a distant prospect” amid disagreements over its modalities and wider transitional security arrangements.
Host countries of United Nations peacekeeping operations stressed today that continued support for the Blue Helmets was indispensable for sustaining peace and security, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) examined the funding needs of five missions in strife‑torn and post‑conflict countries.
The United Nations Forum on Forests opened its thirteenth session today with speakers challenging Member States to quicken the pace of implementing the United Nations strategic plan for forests (2017-2030), thus contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today opened the second part of a resumed seventy‑second session which was expected to focus on the multibillion financing needs of more than a dozen active peacekeeping missions for a 12‑month fiscal period beginning 1 July.
Real world examples of technology and innovation being deployed to build a more resilient Africa in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development were presented to the Economic and Social Council today as it concluded its annual three‑day integration segment.
The Economic and Social Council today heard from urban development and sustainability experts including mayors and other public officials focused on building resilient cities, as it continued its 2018 integration segment.
Expressing concern about widening global inequality and deepening divides between peoples, speakers addressing the Committee on Information today urged the Department of Public Information to position itself as a critical resource for — and advocate of — the world’s most marginalized communities, as the 115‑member body entered the second day of its fortieth session.
Technological progress was a valuable tool for building resilience, but it must benefit everyone, including the poor, as nations ramp up their ability to weather increasingly complex shocks while at the same time putting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into practice, the Economic and Social Council heard today as it opened its three-day 2018 integration segment.
The Department of Public Information was undergoing a process of “review and reform” of how it communicated United Nations values in a world where trust in major institutions was increasingly difficult to maintain, and “fake” stories competed with legitimate news for public attention, the Committee on Information heard today as it opened its fortieth session.
