Meetings Coverage

Recognizing ongoing serious concern about the direct link between the “rough diamonds” trade and armed conflict and the activities of rebel movements aimed at undermining legitimate Governments, the General Assembly today reaffirmed its strong and continuing support for the Kimberley Process and its related certification scheme aimed at ending the global trade in the “blood diamonds”, which fuelled brutal civil wars in West Africa and elsewhere during the 1990s.

Recognizing that major changes had occurred in Iraq since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, the Security Council today returned control of mineral exports to that country’s Government, ended the oil-for-food programme and lifted restrictions on programmes for the development of nuclear energy.

As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up the proposed financing for 29 special political missions for 2011, some delegates warned of the problems posed by the expanding and fluctuating financial demands those missions were placing on the Organization’s budget resources, an impact even seen in the outline presented today by Secretariat officials for the 2012-2013 budget cycle.

The surge in demand for humanitarian assistance in often high-risk environments — geared to support the growing numbers affected by the increase in frequency, scale and scope of emergencies — required effective, sustained and well-financed intervention by the international community, said delegates today during the General Assembly’s annual wide-ranging debate on strengthening the United Nations coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance.

Concluding its 2010 substantive session, the Economic and Social Council today elected members to some of its subsidiary bodies, adopted one draft resolution and postponed consideration of several other items until next year’s session.

The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) would “lower its flag” at the end of December and start liquidation on 1 January 2011, Youssef Mahmoud, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission told the Security Council today.

Israeli and Palestinian leaders should focus with urgency in the coming year on the essential elements of a “negotiated two-State endgame, for the benefit of both peoples”, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council this morning. “The parties have set for themselves important timelines that have received strong international endorsement and 2011 is the year in which these are to be met,” Robert Serry told the Council.

The Security Council, while urging the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to take all possible measures to complete its work expeditiously, today allowed three of its judges to serve beyond the expiry of their term of office so they could complete work on cases in which they were involved.

Urging the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia to take all possible measures to complete its work, the Security Council today allowed two judges to serve beyond the expiry of their term of office to enable them to complete work on cases in which they were involved.

Calling on the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to develop a plan for overcoming remaining differences before the Secretary-General’s visit in January 2011, the Security Council this morning extended the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force on Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 15 June 2011. By a vote of 14 in favour to 1 against (Turkey), the Council adopted resolution 1953 (2010).