Meetings Coverage

Concluding a discussion of the proposed budget for 2010-2011, several developing countries on the Fifth Committee insisted that zero growth was not the solution for the Organization’s budget, and called for rectifying imbalances in funding budget priorities.

In its third annual debate on the work of the Human Rights Council, the General Assembly today recognized the newly formed body’s use of innovative mechanisms, special sessions and input from civil society to protect more people around the world from human rights violations.

The Security Council this morning adopted its annual report to the General Assembly for the period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2009.

Deeply concerned about the pervasiveness of all forms of violence against women and girls and in recognition of the special vulnerability of young people in the current financial and economic crisis, the Third Committee today approved two draft resolutions on ending violence against women and on youth, before beginning consideration of the report of the Human Rights Council.

Presented with the Organization’s 2010-2011 budget that approached $5 billion today, numerous members of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) advocated strict financial discipline, close scrutiny of requirements, clear prioritization and redeployment of resources from lower-priority areas, while also insisting on the need to present a full picture of all requirements at the time of the introduction of the budget proposal.

Combined efforts by the United Nations, Governments, civil society and operational implementing partners to efficiently coordinate mine action-related activities gone far to end the suffering caused by landmines and explosive remnants of war, Assistant Secretary-General for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today.

States’ increased recourse to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice for the peaceful settlement of their disputes on growing and more varied issues pointed to heightened awareness among political leaders of the importance of the rule of law, the top officials of those global judicial bodies told the United Nations General Assembly today.

Noting with concern continuing human rights violations against civilians in Côte d’Ivoire, including numerous acts of sexual violence, the Security Council this morning renewed for another year its arms embargo and diamond trade ban in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as targeted sanctions restricting the travel of individuals that threatened the peace process in the West African country.

The Security Council this afternoon condemned, in the strongest terms, the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the 28 October terrorist attack that took the lives of several United Nations staff members and others in Kabul, Afghanistan.

With more than 1 billion people hungry in the world for the first time in history, the challenges of food security demanded multilateral commitment, creativity and leadership, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this afternoon at a special ceremony to mark World Food Day.