Turning promises into progress in achieving a sustainable future depended on harnessing a collective will and taking resolute action to meet the deadline set in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, speakers said today as the High-level Political Forum concluded its general debate.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, 20 July — Against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the holy city of Jerusalem — sparked by the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the imposition of restrictions on worshippers following a recent violent incident — the fourth International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem opened in Baku this morning, with speakers voicing concern that such actions could drive the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict into a religious confrontation with dangerous repercussions.
The Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution reinforcing its resolve to adapt to evolving terrorist threats, encouraging Governments to update their methods for cutting off funds to terrorist groups, preventing their travel, banning them from acquiring arms and ensuring that sanctions were fully implemented.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, 20 July — Warning that tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem had reached a breaking point, speakers outlined a range of challenges — from increasing discrimination against Palestinian women to a recent “weaponization of religion” at the Al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount — as the International Conference on the Question of Jerusalem held its first plenary session this afternoon.
The United Nations and the African Union had a shared interest in strengthening mechanisms to defuse conflicts before they escalated and to manage them effectively when they occurred, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today in an open debate on enhancing African capacities in peace and security.
Member States approved a decision on membership of and representation on the Security Council today, as the General Assembly adopted three other texts covering a range of issues and agenda items.
The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development today adopted a Ministerial Declaration aimed at accelerating the pace of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to lift millions out of poverty, as it closed its 2017 session.
With the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) making way for a new peacekeeping operation focusing on justice support, the onus lied on Haitians themselves to shape their future going forward, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative to the country said today.
Despite encouraging progress, the international community had yet to account for the millions of people who still wallowed in abject poverty and for whom the right to development remained but a dream, speakers said today as the ministerial segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development continued.
Fresh from victory in retaking the northern city of Mosul from terrorists, Iraq must now address the long-standing grievances, needs and aspirations of its people, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General told the Security Council today, paving the way towards national settlement and reconciliation.
