Several delegates voiced support today for the General Assembly to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, as the as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate on Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories.
Speakers today condemned unprecedented levels of violence by Israeli security forces and settlers against Palestinians, as well as attacks on human rights defenders and organizations, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate on Israeli practices which impact the human rights of Palestinians and other Arabs living in occupied territories.
With its mandate up for renewal by the General Assembly, and demands for its services growing, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) urgently requires a substantial capital injection to lift it out of a chronic budget deficit, its head told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today.
Acting without a vote, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved today a draft resolution on the United Nations’ special political missions as it held its general debate on that topic, with several speakers calling for them to be accorded their own budget.
Delegates from countries where United Nations peacekeeping missions are deployed expressed divergent views today on their effectiveness in the midst of increasingly difficult conflict environments, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on the Organization’s peacekeeping efforts.
As the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on all aspects of United Nations peacekeeping, speakers called today for realistic mandates, improved strategic communication and support for regional partnerships.
Senior United Nations officials today highlighted the need to improve the safety, security and mental health of peacekeepers while also ensuring accountability, improving strategic communications in the field and bolstering the participation of women, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate of all aspects of peacekeeping operations.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), acting without a vote, approved two draft resolutions on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, including one that would have the General Assembly urge Member States to work towards averting an arms race in space while also paying more attention to the danger of space objects colliding.
Delegates from the Global South underscored the many ways in which space technology can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and called for greater efforts to that end, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued today its consideration of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
With concerns growing about the weaponization of the heavens, speakers renewed calls today for a multilaterally negotiated and legally binding instrument to prevent an arms race in outer space, during a joint ad hoc meeting of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) and Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization).
