Meetings Coverage

The Presidents of the tribunals on crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, reporting on both progress and unforeseen delays in completing their work, called for greater assistance in that effort as they briefed the Security Council this morning.

Taking two weeks longer than planned, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today concluded its second resumed session by recommending to the General Assembly a peacekeeping budget of $7.2 billion for the period from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 — slightly less than that approved in the previous financial year. It also produced a consensus draft resolution on cross-cutting issues, which had eluded the Committee for three years.

The General Assembly today appointed Gérard Biraud (France), István Posta (Hungary), Papa Louis Fall (Senegal) and Cihan Terzi (Turkey) as members of the Joint Inspection Unit for a five-year term of office beginning on 1 January 2011 and expiring on 31 December 2015.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) concluded its 2010 resumed session today by adopting its draft report, with the understanding that it would be finalized with the Secretariat’s support and in consultation with Committee members, as appropriate.

The Fourth Biennial Meeting of States to consider the implementation of the 2001 Programme of Action aimed at eradicating the illicit small arms trade today adopted by consensus its outcome document, as it concluded its week-long session. Sergio Duarte, United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, praised all delegates and organizers for a successful session and for reaching a consensus on the important outcome.

Continuing its annual session this morning, the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention on the Law of the Sea decided to nominate States with a permanent diplomatic or consular presence in Berlin or Hamburg as a member and alternate member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea’s Staff Pension Committee.

Representatives of international organizations, Member States and law-enforcement authorities convened today at the United Nations General Assembly for a special meeting to spur more effective use of an international legal weapon designed to fight burgeoning cross-border organized crime.

Weapons-tracing data was currently often scattered, unreliable and fragmented, hindering the effectiveness of the world’s attack on the illegal small arms trade, many delegates told the Fourth Biennial Meeting on combating the trade today, as States also began consideration of its final document by agreeing on the annex covering the international tracing instrument.

The United Nations Security Council today reasserted its strong condemnation of the recruitment, killing, maiming, raping and other abuse of children during armed conflict, and expressed its readiness to take targeted measures against persistent perpetrators of those crimes.

The easy availability of firearms multiplied the probability of death or grave violations of human rights in communities around the world and, as in warding off a disease, in preventing armed violence these communities must build up resistance and reduce their exposure to the vector of injury — the gun, delegates were told today, as the Fourth Biennial Meeting on combating the illicit small arms and light weapons trade reached the halfway mark of its week-long session.