Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today called for urgent action to meet the future office space requirements of thousands of United Nations staff members currently in off-campus leased buildings in New York, warning about the high price tag of inaction.
Gains made in the areas of human rights and development contrasted sharply with the volatile and deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, the General Assembly heard today from three dozen speakers as the 193-member body took up the situation in that country.
Culminating a session that saw intense debate on a range of issues, from the rights of the child to States’ responsibilities to protect refugees, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its work today, approving a draft resolution on human rights defenders, which will be included in a package of 62 texts expected to be taken up by the General Assembly in December.
The Security Council today reiterated its commitment to take “early and effective” action to prevent armed conflict and, to that end, employ all appropriate means at its disposal, in line with the United Nations Charter.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered how it might revamp the operations of a crucial oversight body — the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) — which helps the 193 delegates manage the United Nations vast human resources and its finances.
The Security Council today expressed its intention to continue addressing the protection of civilians, both in country-specific considerations and as a thematic agenda item, outraged that they accounted for the vast majority of casualties in conflict situations, suffering forced displacement and destruction of property, among other impacts.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to introduce five draft resolutions, including a new text on “Financial inclusion for sustainable development”.
Citing accelerating terrorist attacks, spikes in displacement and increasingly grave humanitarian challenges, the top United Nations official for the Sahel told the Security Council today that the international community must address the root causes of such threats to prevent further deterioration in the region.
The General Assembly today adopted six resolutions on Palestinian and Middle East issues, as diverse as the Syrian Golan and the United Nations special information programme on the question of Palestine, all by recorded votes, exposing divisions in the world body.
For the first time since 2009, delegates today requested a recorded vote on a draft resolution on the rights of the child, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) sent a package of 13 texts to the General Assembly on a range of issues, from preventing violence and women migrant workers to involving youth in paving a way to a sustainable future.
