Decolonization

Acting today on the recommendations of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) and Sixth Committee (Legal), the General Assembly today adopted a total of 65 texts, including 49 resolutions and 16 decisions addressing a wide range of international concerns tackling, among others, the effects of atomic radiation and support for the Palestinian refugee agency, as well as the codification of two international binding treaties on crimes against humanity and the protection of persons in disasters.

Concluding its work for the current session, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved five texts today, four of which were draft resolutions concerning Israel and Palestine, which took recorded votes.

The report of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices is a distortion of reality and promotes a particular political agenda aimed at “destroying Israel’s image as a democratic State,” that country’s delegate told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, while other speakers called for a permanent end to the Israeli settler activities, in keeping with the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice.

Israel’s methods of war align with the characteristics of genocide, the Chair of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices Affecting the Human Rights of the Palestinian People and Other Arabs of the Occupied Territories told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space today with the approval of two resolutions and two decisions, appointing Latvia and Djibouti to the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

Voicing strong commitment to international cooperation, delegates in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today stressed the importance of sharing space technology for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, while commending the effectiveness and relevance of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.

As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its consideration of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, delegates underscored the fragility and mystery of that realm, calling for cooperation in preserving its peacefulness and harnessing the potential of space technologies.

Acting without a vote, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution on the University for Peace today, with delegates commending the University’s commitment to the education of women in peace and its contributions to promoting the culture of peace.

Concluding its general debate on decolonization, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today approved 22 draft resolutions, one decision and an amendment, with many delegates voicing concern over the procedural aspects and language of one of the resolutions.

As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate today on decolonization and related items, speakers paid homage to the resilience and determination of those who continue to strive for freedom.