The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development — convened under the auspices of the General Assembly on the margins of its annual general debate — today approved a political declaration launching an “ambitious and accelerated” new decade of action in pursuit of critical development targets.
The Security Council today decided to extend until 21 September 2020 the mandate of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (UNITAD).
Relentless settlement building, threats to annex land and change the status quo of holy sites, along with worsening conditions in Gaza and persistent violence — including during civilian protests — all threaten to destroy the tenuous peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, delegates told the Security Council today.
The General Assembly, acting on the recommendation of its General Committee, today adopted the work programme and agenda for its seventy-fourth session, deciding to include the item “responsibility to protect” — among a range of others — in its discussions over the coming months.
The Security Council failed to adopt two draft resolutions on the situation in Syria today — one tabled by Belgium, Germany and Kuwait; the other by China and the Russian Federation — amid heated debate on their content and concern over the fate of civilians in Idlib Governorate.
With winter fast approaching, funding and supplies will be essential to meet the growing needs of Syria’s people, a top United Nations humanitarian official told the Security Council today, laying out the extensive challenges confronting aid workers working tirelessly to reach civilians with life-saving assistance.
While the situation for many people in South Sudan remains bleak, a year of relative peace has kick-started a process of transformation that is improving lives, with one-time enemies coming together to chart the way forward for the world’s youngest nation, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in that country told the Security Council today.
Opening the General Assembly’s seventy-fourth session today, newly elected President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (Nigeria) underlined the 193-member organ’s central role in eradicating poverty, combating climate change and empowering vulnerable people around the globe.
The Security Council decided today to extend, until 17 September 2020, the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to support the organization of elections in that country, including the presidential ballot scheduled for 28 September.
