The General Assembly, endeavouring to complete by year’s end the main part of its current session, adopted eight resolutions today, covering issues that included promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue, safe water and sanitation in health-care facilities, sustainable use of oceans and security challenges posed by synthetic drugs.
The international community must exhaust “all available diplomatic avenues” to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear programme, the United Nations’ top political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council today, even as participants to that Plan disagreed on how to achieve this.
Dialogue and settlement between key parties are necessary for the advancement of the political process in Libya, particularly the holding of elections, the top United Nations official there told the Security Council today in a meeting on the situation in the country.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) supported proposed amendments to the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules, also lending support for human resource management reforms aimed at creating a more equitable and geographically balanced staff representation at the Organization, particularly considering the plight of developing countries.
Save those who can still be saved in Gaza, the General Assembly heard today, as delegates also expressed alarm that the body’s recently adopted ceasefire resolution does not condemn Hamas.
Small arms and light weapons are key drivers of hostilities and “de facto weapons of mass destruction”, killing 700 people per day, speakers told the Security Council today during a debate that highlighted the need for the 15-nation body to mount a comprehensive response that included strict control over diversion of those weapons to conflict zones.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today approved its annual programme planning resolution, after rejecting an eponymous text by the Russian Federation that would have removed any references to a mechanism set up by the United Nations a dozen years ago to investigate international crimes committed in Syria since that country’s war began in March 2011.
Outgoing Chairs of Security Council subsidiary bodies detailed their work today on various progress made, underscoring their efforts in discussions on security situations, activities of armed groups and monitoring of arms embargoes, as they emphasized that more work remains to be done to move forward the goals of the 15-member body.
South Sudan is not yet ready to hold credible elections in 2024, a senior United Nations official said today, as the Security Council examined the recent developments in that country, including implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and the dire humanitarian situation exacerbated by the influx of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan.
The Security Council today extended for a further year the mandate of the team monitoring sanctions against the Taliban and associated individuals and entities, which threaten Afghanistan’s peace, security and stability.
