As discussions begin shaping the post-2015 development agenda, women must have a strong presence to cement the intrinsic link between achieving gender equality worldwide and the global goals of sustainable development and eradication of poverty, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), heard today during the second day of its thematic debate.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today examined the status of construction projects at the Economic Commission for Africa, as well as oversight issues across the United Nations system, including its exposure to fraud risks.

Reaffirming its commitment to eradicating the scourge of colonialism, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today concluded its annual consideration of the question of decolonization, and forwarded 11 draft resolutions to the General Assembly, six of which were approved without a vote.

Divergent views on the nature of its role and agenda emerged today, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the work of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization.

There was “no good purpose for bad weapons”, heard the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today as a cross-section of non-nuclear-armed States called for greater global disarmament efforts.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks at the high-level panel discussion on the “Africa We Want” in support of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, in New York on 13 October:

The administration of justice could not be measured in monetary terms alone, the General Assembly was told today as the Presidents of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals and the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and for the Former Yugoslavia presented their annual reports.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Tripoli on Saturday, 11 October, following a visit to Tunis.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Tunis early on Friday morning, 10 October, from his visit to Washington, D.C. 

The Secretary-General travelled to the Middle East today and met with the Prime Ministers of Palestine and Israel, Israel’s opposition leader and Quartet representative Tony Blair.  He was encouraged by the amount committed by donors at the Cairo conference on Gaza’s reconstruction and the Israeli Prime Minister’s support for a temporary mechanism for rebuilding.