Meetings Coverage

Committing to a “powerful road map on jobs” through the adoption of a far-reaching Declaration, Government representatives in the Economic and Social Council capped the body’s 2012 high-level segment, and, opening its next phase — on coordination — held a dialogue with the heads of its regional commissions.

The world was watching and the pressure mounting to hammer out in the coming days an effective instrument that would address licit and illicit conventional arms flows, delegates were told today as the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty continued its work at Headquarters.

Stressing that the struggle for women’s equality was far from won, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson today called on the international community to unite in politically empowering women and erasing gender-based discrimination and oppression in all aspects of public and private life.

Corruption impaired economies, weakened democracy and fuelled public distrust — particularly where the rule of law was fragile and institutions were weak — United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki–moon told the Economic and Social Council today, as he urged Governments to forge strong links with all stakeholders to build “cultures of integrity”.

With women and girls among the major victims of the violence perpetrated with illegally traded conventional arms, it was vital that an arms trade treaty take into account and contain specific gender-based violence criterion, the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty Conference was told today as it entered its second week of negotiations in New York.

The Economic and Social Council today closed its third Development Cooperation Forum as a range of speakers described a “new world” in which non-traditional partners and innovative development arrangements were becoming increasingly prominent.

The rampant use of forged documents to open the floodgates for rising numbers of conventional weapon deliveries to fragile areas must be among the critical issues tackled by a robust international arms trade instrument, the representative of Dominican Republic told delegates at Headquarters, as the United Nations Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty continued its month-long meeting today.

Underscoring its commitment to seeing the world’s newest State become economically prosperous and living side by side with Sudan in peace and security, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year, through 15 July 2013.

Burundi looked “immeasurably different” from the conflict-ravaged country of a few years ago, but “decisive and confident leadership” was required to consolidate governance that allowed dissent, shunned corruption and spurred development, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council this morning.

Condemning the March seizure of power by some members of the armed forces in Mali, as well as human rights violations by rebels in the north of the Sahelian country, the Security Council this morning called for the creation of a road map for the restoration of constitutional order and State authority throughout its territory.