Victory over Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) had come at a very high cost, with thousands of fighters and civilians killed or wounded, hundreds of thousands of children brainwashed, entire cities in ruins, and some six million people displaced, the Secretary‑General’s Special Representative in Iraq said today, as he briefed the Security Council on the situation concerning that country.
As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined the recommended 2018 budgets for special political missions and the assistance mission in Iraq, one delegate objected to aspects of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide’s activities, while another was concerned by sharp increases in the number of staff at the Office of the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its seventy‑second session today, approving five draft resolutions on the rights of children, assistance to refugees, persons with disabilities, social development and terrorism.
The Security Council reiterated its condemnation of trafficking in human beings today, particularly the sale of people by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da’esh), as well as other violations and abuses by Boko Haram, Al‑Shabaab, the Lord’s Resistance Army and other such groups for the purpose of sexual slavery, sexual exploitation and forced labour.
Concluding a two-day debate on Afghanistan, the General Assembly adopted a draft resolution on the situation in that country today, reiterating its grave concern about the security landscape, condemning all terrorist attacks and noting with great concern the strong nexus between the drug trade and terrorist activities.
The security and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan remained precarious and required the support of regional and international partners, particularly in addressing the concerning nexus between terrorism and narcotics, the General Assembly heard today as it held its annual debate on the Central Asian nation.
In a day filled with voting and contentious debate, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today expressed itself on human rights defenders, migrants and the safety of journalists by approving 14 resolutions on those and other topics.
The Security Council this afternoon, meeting independently from but concurrently with the General Assembly, elected Dalveer Bhandari (India) to the International Court of Justice for a nine‑year term, beginning on 6 February 2018.
The General Assembly, meeting concurrently with the Security Council this afternoon, elected Dalveer Bhandari (India) to the International Court of Justice for a nine‑year term, beginning on 6 February 2018.
Despite slow progress towards inclusive dialogue in Burundi, the United Nations must continue its support for the political process there as the only way forward, the Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy to the East African country told the Security Council today.
