Plenary

Acting by consensus today, the General Assembly adopted two draft resolutions aimed at strengthening the United Nations system.

“We need everyone to work together to create the future we want,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, urging the world body to rally behind the recommendations of his blue ribbon panel for launching a new, people-powered agenda for development which would eradicate poverty and promote inclusive growth, while protecting the environment and making consumption and production patterns more sustainable.

Calling for urgent and concerted action to end months of violence in Syria, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said the international community had failed the Syrian people, particularly the many innocent civilians trapped in the war-wracked cities Homs and Hama, where the Government was stepping up its systematic “atrocious assault”.

The General Assembly today adopted a resolution on reform of the human rights treaty body system and elected three judges from a pool of six candidates to the United Nations Appeals Tribunal for terms of seven years, beginning 1 July.

Strongly condemning continued widespread and systematic human rights violations by the Syrian authorities, the General Assembly today voted overwhelmingly to call on both the Government and allied forces and armed groups “to stop all violence or reprisals immediately”. Adopting an Arab-backed resolution by a recorded vote of 137 in favour to 12 against, with 17 abstentions, the Assembly expressed grave concern at the deteriorating situation in Syria.

Expressing outrage at the Syrian Government’s violent 11-month crackdown on opposition protesters, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights told the General Assembly today that credible reports of “serious violations” — including indiscriminate attacks on civilians, arbitrary detention and torture — pointed to possible crimes against humanity and required an immediate international response.

Recognizing that the role of diamonds in fuelling armed conflict remained a matter of serious international concern, with a devastating effect on affected countries, the General Assembly this afternoon reaffirmed its strong and continuing support for the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which aimed to eliminate conflict diamonds from the legitimate trade.

With the political situation throughout North Africa and the Middle East in flux after months of anti-Government protests, the dismal reality of climate change playing out across South-east Asia and the Horn of Africa, and the world’s major economic engines still mired in recession, the General Assembly opened its sixty-sixth session with a busy agenda reflecting many of the year’s most vital international issues.

The General Assembly closed its main session midday Saturday with the adoption of a $5.15 billion United Nations budget for the 2012-2013 biennium and an unexpected intervention by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who commended Member States for having risen to that challenge with “energy, creativity and an indispensable willingness to make the hard choices”.

The developing world’s vulnerability to the prevailing multiple global crises and preparations for the June 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development were prominent among the concerns of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as the 42 draft resolutions and 4 draft decisions it had recommended for action by the General Assembly were adopted today.