The existence of two different pay scales in Geneva undermines the United Nations common system aimed at maintaining the same employment conditions across different duty stations, speakers warned today as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) began examining the role of the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) in setting such standards.
The ranking United Nations official in the Central African Republic appealed to the Security Council today to renew the mandate of the Organization’s peacekeeping mission in that country with a focus on elections planned for 2020 and 2021, as well as other challenges.
The recent escalation of hostilities in north‑east Syria — following a Turkish military operation launched on 9 October — has exacerbated the safety and well‑being of the area’s 3 million residents, a top United Nations humanitarian official warned the Security Council today, adding that nearly 180,000 people have fled that border region in just two weeks.
The illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons around the world is having humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences that are undermining sustainable development and efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts, delegates said today as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its thematic debate on conventional weapons.
Given the increased cooperation between Sudan and South Sudan on a host of issues, it is time for the parties to finally make progress on the status of the disputed area of Abyei, the Under‑Secretary‑General for Peace Operations told the Security Council today.
Delegates highlighted the role of the Scientific Committee in informing radiation safety standards for the entire international community, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution on the effects of atomic radiation today.
Targeted killings, such as that of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, are emblematic of a global pattern of killings of reporters and activists, and the most important action to take in these cases of “terminal silencing” is to speak up, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates engaged with mandate holders on the promotion and protection of human rights.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution today, by which the General Assembly would urge States to provide humanitarian assistance for victims of anti-personnel mines, as it concluded its consideration of assistance in mine action.
Special Rapporteurs presenting country‑specific reports warned of Governments wilfully flouting international norms on such issues as the detention of children and the holding of credible elections, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues on human rights today.
The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is crucial to continue the vital legal work of bringing to justice the perpetrators of atrocities committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, the General Assembly heard today, as speakers noted progress in the Mechanism’s second year of functioning.
