The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) signalled its approval this afternoon to extend the terms of office of judges of the United Nation Dispute Tribunal, while stating its preference for the aims and makeup of an independent judicial panel to assess the Organization’s formal system of administering justice.
After a “dramatic year” that saw both hope for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and a devastating war in Gaza, it was critical for the Security Council to work towards an effective framework for progress, the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told that body this morning.
Reaffirming the need to build and promote a culture of peace in a world where hatred was adding new dimensions to old conflicts, the General Assembly today adopted without a vote two draft resolutions that stressed tolerance and dialogue.
Experts, United Nations officials and representatives of Member States exchanged views over two sessions today on the longer-term positioning of the Organization’s development system taking into account the post-2015 development agenda, at a dialogue organized by the Economic and Social Council.
In the 10 months since the adoption of resolution 2139 (2013), calls by the Security Council for the parties to conflict in Syria to end all violations of international humanitarian and human rights law had gone unheard, a top United Nations relief official told the 15-member body today, stressing that an estimated 200,000 people had been killed amid worsening violence.
Marking the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of conflict in South Sudan, which has killed tens of thousands, the Security Council today demanded that the clashing leaders in the young country fully implement agreements to end the hostilities, and reiterated its intention to consider measures against those impeding the peace process.
Recognizing that the Ebola outbreak had slowed national reforms, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Liberia until 30 September 2015, outlining priorities in the areas of civilian protection, humanitarian assistance support, justice and security body reforms, human rights promotion and protection, and protection of United Nations personnel.
As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined the financing of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, delegates expressed concern that funding shortfalls were hindering the judicial mechanism’s ability to discharge its mandate.
Underscoring the importance of continued international support for Afghanistan, the Security Council today welcomed the agreement between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Afghan Government to establish a post‑2014 non-combat mission in that country to aid national defence and security forces.
As the situation in Darfur continued to deteriorate, crimes were being committed there with greater brutality, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told the Security Council this morning in her semi-annual briefing, urging the 15-member body to define a new approach to addressing the issues arising from the conflict.
