Meetings Coverage

Urging the leaders of the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities to work towards “decisive progress” on the core issues that divided them, the Security Council this morning extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) for a further period ending 30 January 2013.

Reaching people most in need during complex crises — sparked by conflict, extreme weather or natural disaster — required humanitarian actors to better use, validate and share information from a range of sources throughout the programming cycle, the Economic and Social Council heard today during a dynamic panel discussion on improving the capacities of evidence-based humanitarian decision-making.

Common ground had emerged even as diverging views, multiple proposals and intense debate continued with a view to hammering out a legally-binding conventional arms agreement, delegates were told today, during an update on negotiations, as the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty neared the end of its third week of meetings.

New Zealand continued to uphold its proud record in women’s empowerment, with a high ranking in the Global Gender Gap report for 2011, its continuing efforts to increase female leadership in politics and the private sector and its solid progress in closing the gender pay gap, members of that country’s delegation told the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today.

As Cote d’Ivoire makes impressive strides on the path to peace but also faces significant challenges and threats, the United Nations must continue to assist the Government’s efforts to transition to a peacebuilding phase, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council this afternoon.

Briefing the Security Council on Libya in what he expected would be his last time as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative there, Ian Martin said this morning that the 7 July elections showed how far the country had come in the practice and spirit of democracy following the civil war that toppled Muammar Qadhafi, as he also outlined the challenges ahead.

Basing humanitarian responses on reliable data and tapping the expertise of local partners were vital to bringing relief aid to areas and communities in need, top United Nations officials said this afternoon, as the Economic and Social Council began its humanitarian affairs segment. “To make the best use of resources for humanitarian response, decision-making must be based on evidence from reliable data,” said Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

Through a “juridical revolution” and a range of comprehensive assistance programmes, Mexico was gaining ground in its bid to end violence against women, including murder, bolster their political representation at the most senior levels and slash maternal mortality, members of that country’s delegation told the Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee today.

The United Nations must define a results-oriented “One UN” strategy — one aimed at harmonizing the Organization’s development activities while still allowing individual funds and programmes to retain their autonomy — as its main approach at the country level, said top officials and Executive Board members of several entities today as they addressed the Economic and Social Council.