Meetings Coverage

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budget) today considered the Secretariat’s request for a subvention of $16.24 million to keep the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia running efficiently in 2017.

The negative effects of sanctions, violations of workers’ rights and obstacles to the right to development were among the wide‑ranging concerns before the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), today as delegates engaged in interactive discussions with independent Human Rights Council experts on ways to improve respect across a range of business and Government practices.

While the management of transboundary aquifers was critical to the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, States needed to approach the matter in a manner conducive to their situation and region, delegates stressed, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the International Law Commission’s work on the subject today.

The memory of the more than 15 million victims of the transatlantic slave trade provided a moral imperative to effectively combat racism, xenophobia, inequality and modern-day manifestations of slavery, speakers in the General Assembly said today as it held its annual commemoration of the largest forced migration in human history.

Exports had remained stagnant or drastically declined due to low world prices, failure to adapt to changing markets and policies penalizing their traditional activity, Maldives’ delegate told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as it began its debate on macroeconomic policy questions.

New coalitions of support were needed to address collective security challenges in today’s multipolar world, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, emphasizing that future peace operations would require expert deployment, effective use of technology and adaptability to situations on the ground.

The human cost of the global proliferation of small arms and light weapons came under the spotlight this morning as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its thematic debate on conventional weapons, with delegates underscoring the importance of cooperation to strengthen relevant international agreements to save lives on the ground.

A guiding set of common principles was needed to encourage responsible behaviour and secure outer space safety and security, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as other speakers debated the need for legally binding instruments with reliable guarantees.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved three draft resolutions without a vote today, the first two on questions relating to information and the third on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.

Citing outbreaks of violence between Israelis and Palestinians, Israeli settlement activity, Palestinian political turmoil and militant activity, along with continued suffering in Gaza, speakers in a day-long debate at the Security Council warned that, regardless of other conflict in the region, the situation must not be ignored.