Meetings Coverage

A United Nations meeting in support of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process stressed the importance of the two-year State-building plan put forward by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, aimed at developing institutions and strengthening the foundation for the future State of Palestine, and considered that the entire international community should be ready to recognize the new State once statehood had been declared by the Palestinian Authority at the appropriate time.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up proposals to give the Secretary-General authority to commit $380.4 million in the next six months to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) and $246.6 million in the next six months to the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT), whose most recent budgets reached $732.4 million and $690.8 million respectively.

Opening its 2010 resumed session today, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations recommended consultative status with the Economic and Social Council for nine non-governmental organizations and postponed consideration of more than two dozen others pending receipt of more information.

Amid reports that three quarters of the world’s fish stocks were in distress and nearing depletion while marine ecosystems continued to deteriorate, the Conference tasked with reviewing implementation of the landmark 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement today focused on boosting compliance with regional fisheries management organizations, assessing flag State performance, controlling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and adopting port State measures.

The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) until 31 December 2010, and called upon the Secretary-General to complete the withdrawal of all components of the Mission by that date.

While serious dangers still threatened Iraq, the successful legislative elections provided an opportunity to further strengthen the country’s sovereignty and reconciliation, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council this morning.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his support for the revived Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks, saying it was necessary that they lead quickly to direct peace negotiations so that progress could be made on core issues such as the status of Jerusalem, which was vital to both parties, and "should emerge from the negotiations as the capital of Israel and Palestine, with arrangements for the holy sites acceptable to all".

With a text of the President’s Draft Final Declaration circulating, the Chairman of the 2010 Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty established the parameters for a closed negotiating plenary session to review that document section-by-section during a brief plenary meeting this morning.

Despite efforts to improve the governance of high seas fisheries, global fish stocks continued to decline, with the majority of those covered by the landmark 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement either fully exploited or overexploited, delegates attending the 2010 Review Conference of that legally binding instrument stressed today, as they opened debate on key issues related to the sustainable management of fisheries and protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems.

The High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina told the Security Council today that the country had made great strides in international relations in the 18 years since its admission to the United Nations, but internal divisions had stalled domestic reforms.