Bhutan is at the forefront of a growing movement that intends radically to change global economics, politics and business practices by emphasizing happiness and well-being rather than growth, the tiny Himalayan kingdom’s Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley said at Headquarters today as he announced the first-ever conference on the topic.

In Baghdad today, the Secretary-General noted the Arab League’s Summit is the first since the remarkable events that transformed the Arab region. He said the lessons are eloquent and clear. For decades, the people in the Arab world saw tyrannies topple and democracies emerge elsewhere. Now, they see it as their time.

Experts of the Human Rights Committee stressed the critical importance of reporting on compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, noting that some 20 per cent of States parties had still not done so, as the body marked the conclusion of its 104th Session at a Headquarters press conference this afternoon.

The head of the United Nations Postal Administration today kicked off the Organization’s celebration of World Autism Awareness Day with the announcement of the launch on 2 April of a series of postage stamps featuring the work of eight artists with autism.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General today called for the protection of Syria’s cultural heritage. In line with the World Heritage Convention, UNESCO alerted the relevant authorities to objects that could appear on the international antiquities market.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that rains brought on by a tropical depression have caused flooding in large parts of Fiji. The Government estimates that 150,000 people have been affected so far. The United Nations has offered support to the Government, which is leading the humanitarian response.

Introducing the Security Council programme of work for the April presidency of the United States today, the country’s Permanent Representative said control of nuclear weapons and illicit cross-border traffic would be highlighted alongside the conflicts in Syria, Mali and elsewhere. “The greatest danger that we and all States around the world face is a nuclear weapon or nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists,” said Susan Rice.

The past six months had seen an active, responsive General Assembly that had been relevant in addressing many of the key global issues of concern to all, its President, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser (Qatar), said at Headquarters today, pledging a redoubling of efforts to achieve success on all remaining matters on the organ’s agenda in the remaining six months of its current session.

United Nations agencies are expressing grave concern over the humanitarian situation in Mali, where, in the past five days, more than 2,000 people have fled to Burkina Faso and Mauritania because of the recent insecurity and the political instability. Since January, the fighting in northern Mali has since uprooted more than 200,000 people.

Declaring that “failure is not an option,” Omar Jamal, Chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of Somalia to the United Nations, today reaffirmed the commitment of Somali transitional authorities to the full implementation by 20 August of a time-bound road map that would set the country on the path towards political stability.