Meetings Coverage

The General Assembly, gravely concerned by the critical humanitarian situation and socio-economic conditions of the Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip, and underlining the importance of emergency assistance and urgent reconstruction efforts, would decide to extend the mandate of UNRWA until 30 June 2014, by one of nine draft texts approved today by the Fourth Committee, as it concluded the bulk of its work for the main part of the session.

The General Assembly wrapped up its annual debate on achieving equitable representation in the Security Council today amid competing calls from diplomats for pressing ahead swiftly with drafting a new negotiating text that genuinely analyzed proposals already on the table, on the one hand, and cautioning that any immediate solution which excluded major voices from decision-making would only deepen entrenched divisions, on the other.

The Security Council today welcomed the agreement achieved in Iraq on 11 November to form a national partnership Government.

The General Assembly would call upon the United Nations to promote ecotourism as an instrument to help realize the Millennium Development Goals, and to support similar efforts by developing countries, by the terms of one of three draft resolutions that the Second Committee approved by consensus today.

The authorities and communities of Kosovo and Serbia must take advantage of United Nations and European facilitation to overcome differences through dialogue, the head of the Organization’s interim administration there, known as UNMIK, told the Security Council this afternoon, as members held that such talks would be a factor for peace, security and stability in the wider Balkan region as well.

The General Assembly today returned to the long-standing issue of Security Council reform as it opened its annual debate, looking to end the deadlock among Member States over how to reshape what many speakers saw as the United Nations most powerful — and increasingly outdated — organ.

The General Assembly would, for the third time in four years, renew its call for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty under the terms of a draft resolution approved today in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) by a recorded vote.

The international community must urge the newly elected leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to end the stagnation and internal disagreements of the past four years, the top international official in the country told the Security Council today.

With just a bit of time remaining on its calendar, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today concluded its consideration for the session of the effects of atomic radiation with the consensus approval of a draft resolution commending the United Nations Scientific Committee for the valuable contribution it had been making since its inception to widen knowledge and understanding of the levels, effects and risks of ionizing radiation.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal), completing its work for the session today, approved seven draft resolutions and one draft decision without a vote, delegations strove to ensure consensus on a draft on measures to eliminate international terrorism. The draft would, among other provisions, have the Assembly strongly condemn all manifestations of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable.