Plenary

Deeply concerned by the continued threat of human activities on the planet’s marine environments and biodiversity, the General Assembly today – by the terms of its annual omnibus resolution – reaffirmed its commitment to the far-reaching 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and called, in particular, for action to deliver on the three dimensions of sustainable development in the context of the world’s vital waterways.

The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, acting as a “constitution for the oceans”, guided every aspect of maritime affairs and set out a delicate balance of rights and duties, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today as the General Assembly celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the opening for signature of the nearly universal treaty.

Twenty-seven donors today announced contributions, or their intention to contribute, to the 2013 budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as officials estimated that the chronically underfunded Agency would begin the year facing a deficit of some $69 million.

The General Assembly, faithful to the recommendations of its First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), where delegations in a high-stakes debate championed common positions but fell short of bridging age-old divides over how best to neutralize the nuclear-weapon threat, cast a wider net of nuclear-weapon-free zones, and open a passage to negotiations in the Conference on Disarmament, today adopted 58 texts, requiring 39 separate recorded votes in all.

The United Nations should move away from managing the Middle East crisis through repeated resolutions toward forging a lasting comprehensive political solution, the General Assembly heard today as it adopted six related relevant resolutions, all by recorded vote.

Voting by an overwhelming majority — 138 in favour to 9 against (Canada, Czech Republic, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Panama, Palau, United States), with 41 abstentions — the General Assembly today accorded Palestine non-Member Observer State status in the United Nations.

Recognizing the potential of sport to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, the General Assembly today adopted a resolution reaffirming that sport, among other things, contributed to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding, and was a tool for education that could promote cooperation, solidarity, social inclusion and health.

With Afghanistan facing a critical juncture in its modern history — the expected pullout of international security forces by 2014 — the international community must stand beside the war-torn central Asian nation and help to usher in a decade “marked less by aid and more by trade”, said General Assembly delegates today as they adopted a consensus resolution affirming their continued support for the country’s peace, reconciliation and development processes.

Enhanced alliances between the United Nations and regional and treaty bodies were needed to address current and emerging global challenges, as well as to achieve several longstanding — and as yet unmet — international goals, said delegates today as the General Assembly adopted consensus texts reaffirming cooperation with a number of such organizations.

Despite recognizing the need to make the Security Council more representative and fit to tackle complex global challenges, delegates remained divided on the future makeup of the 15-nation body, as the General Assembly today discussed the Council’s work and reforming its structure.