The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved three draft resolutions on decolonization matters today, two by recorded vote, also concluding its general debate on Israel’s practices in occupied Arab territories.
Negotiations aimed at improving the Security Council’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to emerging challenges must remain a transparent, Member State‑driven process free of politicization, delegates emphasized this morning, as the General Assembly concluded its annual debate on the 15‑member organ’s reform.
Lack of political will on the part of an “elite few” continued to threaten efforts to reform the Security Council, the General Assembly heard today, as delegates warned that the resulting inertia risked jeopardizing the 15‑member organ’s credibility and that of the entire United Nations system.
A sharp increase in settlement construction activity fuelled by the passing of a “regularization law” and combined with the demolition of Palestinian homes had led to an atmosphere of despair and hopelessness among Palestinians in the occupied territories, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) had been identified as responsible for the use of sulfur mustard at Umm Hawsh, and Syria as accountable for the use of sarin at Khan Shaykhun, Edmond Mulet, Head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)‑United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism, told the Security Council this afternoon.
The Security Council today renewed for another year its authorization for international naval forces to join in fighting piracy off Somalia’s coast, underscoring that such crime exacerbated instability in the country and fuelled corruption and terrorism.
The Security Council today reiterated the need for the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to fully investigate the killing of two members of the Group of Experts on that country and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) passed six draft resolutions today, covering a range of issues, from prison reform and counter‑terrorism efforts, to human trafficking and alternative development.
Urging all parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to step up the pace of reforms and to refrain from polarizing actions and rhetoric, the Security Council today renewed its authorization of the European-led multinational stabilization force (EUFOR ALTHEA) for one further year before commencing a debate on the situation in the country.
Calling on the Myanmar Government to end the excessive military force and intercommunal violence that had devastated the Rohingya community in Rakhine State, the Security Council this afternoon urged the implementation of agreed‑upon mechanisms to assist return of those who have fled and to ensure access for humanitarian aid.
