Meetings Coverage

With the rising cost of inaction in the Sahel, the international community must keep its eyes on the prospect of peace, the Peacebuilding Commission heard today as it opened its fifth annual session.

Delegates called today for sustainable financing to secure the future of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), also urging enhanced efficiency and reduced costs on its part, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its general debate on that Agency’s work.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) faces the greatest financial predicament in its history this year following the abrupt end to funding by the United States, its Commissioner‑General told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today.

Speakers today welcomed a surge in the market value of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, 70 years after its establishment, but reiterated concerns about a backlog of payments to beneficiaries as well as governance issues, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) tackled the Organization’s multibillion‑dollar pension system, its operations and performance.

Seven decades into the world’s grand experiment in multilateralism — with the United Nations firmly at its core — a rising tide of nationalism and deepening divisions now threaten to derail strides made in reducing poverty and preventing a cataclysmic world war, the Security Council heard today, as it discussed ways to further strengthen international relations and combat complex global threats.

Member States pledged their strong support for the indispensable role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy, transferring technology to developing countries and ensuring nuclear safety, as the General Assembly considered its annual report.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved its first‑ever draft resolution on combating trafficking in human organs today, with Spain’s delegate introducing it as a “novel” approach to crime prevention.

Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today wanted to better understand how ongoing arbitration proceedings preventing a final close-out of the paperwork surrounding the multi-billion-dollar renovation of the United Nations Headquarters will impact the project’s final cost.

Acting by consensus today, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved peacebuilding- and decolonization‑related drafts as it concluded its general debate on the comprehensive review of special political missions.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today introduced 31 draft resolutions and approved five of them, including one calling on Israel to cease its occupation of the Palestinian Territory and Syrian Golan.