The twenty-fifth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child was a moment to assess progress made and the work that remained to be done to help children fully realize their human rights, the General Assembly heard today, as a dozen speakers from United Nations agencies and regional groups took the rostrum, before holding a wide-ranging panel debate.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved three draft resolutions today, including one on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, in a meeting marked by heated discussion.
The Palestinian Rights Committee today approved four draft resolutions relating to the question of Palestine, as it considered the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, as well as all violence against civilians, be they Palestinian or Israeli.
With thousands of foreign terrorist fighters traveling to conflict countries, and groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS) garnering hefty revenues from new illegal sources, the Security Council today urged States, the United Nations and other partners to target the root causes of terrorism as they redoubled efforts to eradicate that scourge in all its forms and manifestations.
The United Nations regular budget for the biennium 2016-2017 would increase by almost $160 million, or 2.9 per cent, from the current two-year period, to reach a record $5.7 billion, primarily due to the need to support new special political missions, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) heard today.
Praising Guinea-Bissau for having restored constitutional order, making its public institutions more legitimate and forming an inclusive Government, top United Nations officials and other partners briefing the Security Council today also cautioned that the West African nation had reached a critical stage in its path towards stability and required sustained international support.
The United Nations top official for Iraq today urged continuance of, and support to, the new unity Government’s efforts to push forward reconciliation and security efforts that he said were beginning to succeed in countering the brutal onslaught of terrorist forces.
Differences on human rights issues should be resolved through constructive dialogue and not confrontational politically motivated actions, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today as it concluded its discussion on the Human Rights Report and took action on a package of draft resolutions on human rights questions and situations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syria and Iran.
As part of the ongoing efforts to overhaul the management of the Organization’s global staff and produce a more efficient workforce, delegates of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today tackled a wide range of thorny issues from mobility to recruitment to performance management.
Recognizing the devastating impact of racism on people of African descent, the General Assembly today adopted, without a vote, a draft resolution on the programme of activities to implement the newly launched International Decade for People of African Descent, thus providing focus and synergy needed to address the matter globally.
