Meetings Coverage

The General Assembly today adopted 68 draft resolutions recommended by its Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) on a range of issues relating mainly to human rights, social development and crime prevention, while deferring action on three texts until the issuance of their budgetary implications.

The Security Council today expressed growing concern about the serious threats posed by drug trafficking and related transnational organized crime to international peace and stability in West Africa and the Sahel region.

The United Nations must provide predictable and sufficient funds to its intergovernmental bodies, Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) delegates said today as they scrutinized the costs during the next biennium of new and existing activities of entities focused on human rights and sustainable development.

The Security Council today extended terms of office for 17 permanent and ad litem judges of the Trial and Appeals Chambers at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia until 31 December 2014, or completion of the cases assigned to them, if sooner.

Spotlighting global cooperation to combat violent extremism, the scourge of “conflict diamonds” and assistance to Rwandan genocide survivors, the General Assembly adopted five resolutions today that focused, among other things, on building a culture of peace to reduce tensions around the world. It also elected two members to the Peacebuilding Commission’s Organizational Committee.

The Security Council decided today that the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) would continue to operate as a special political mission until 31 December 2017, under the policy guidance of the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

In spite of the praiseworthy efforts made by the leaders of West Africa, the region remained fragile and would require the ongoing support of the international community, the United Nations envoy for the region said in a briefing to the Security Council today.

Despite temporary setbacks, Afghanistan’s political and security transition was on track as the Central Asian country sought to emerge from conflict and complete such work by the end of 2014, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative told the Security Council this morning, stressing that predictability would be essential to building confidence in the future.

Expressing its grave concern at the worsening security situation and political divisions in Libya, the Security Council today reiterated its support for the North African country’s people and elected political institutions, underlining the importance of a single, inclusive national dialogue that could forge consensus around priorities for securing a transition to democracy.

Resuming its substantive session today, the Economic and Social Council adopted a draft ministerial declaration of its 2013 high-level segment and two draft decisions, and filled a vacancy on its Peacebuilding Commission.