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General Assembly President unveils details of panel probing global financial system

14 November  2008 - General Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto today announced the full composition of a high-level task force he is setting up to examine possible reform of the global financial system, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, in the wake of the current economic turmoil.

Religion can never justify terrorism or killing of innocents, General Assembly declares

13 November  2008 - A high-level meeting of the General Assembly today decried the use of religion to justify the killing of innocent people and terrorist acts and voiced concern that serious instances of intolerance, discrimination and harassment persist between people of different faiths and cultures.

Top UN officials tell world leaders it is time for action in fight against global woes

12 November  2008 - The General Assembly President today told global leaders the world is facing its most difficult period since the founding of the United Nations and urged them to use their “moral strength” in finding solutions to the problems plaguing the Earth, such as global hunger, poverty and climate change.

General Assembly President voices hope that global meeting on values will spur action

11 November  2008 - The General Assembly President expressed optimism today that the high-level “Culture of Peace” gathering, which kicks off tomorrow with the leaders and senior officials from dozens of nations, will hasten action on such global obstacles as hunger and poverty.

UN reports highlight Israeli infringement of Palestinians’ rights

7 November  2008 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has spotlighted in two new reports to the General Assembly how Israeli practices impinge upon the rights of Palestinians through the continued building of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory and other means.

UN peacekeeping missions overwhelmed, top officials warn on anniversary

7 November  2008 - The bitter reality of conflicts in many countries dwarfs the ability of United Nations peacekeeping efforts to halt warring factions and maintain security despite their best intentions, General Assembly President Miguel D’Escoto said today.

UN health agency welcomes ban on smoking at world body’s New York headquarters

6 November  2008 - The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today welcomed a General Assembly resolution to ban smoking and tobaccos sales at the world body’s headquarters in New York, saying the decision will protect the health of delegates, employees and visitors.

Five judges elected to serve on UN International Court of Justice

6 November  2008 - The General Assembly and the Security Council today elected five judges to serve nine-year terms on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, starting early next year.

More patience needed in assessing UN human rights body, its President says

4 November  2008 - Nearly three years since its creation, more patience is needed in judging the work of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is still in an “evolutionary” stage, the body’s President told the General Assembly today.

General Assembly President calls for international response to financial crisis

30 October  2008 - The international community must fundamentally reform the global financial system and help restore the trust lost as a result of the greed and corruption that caused the current economic crisis and untold suffering around the world, the President of the General Assembly stressed today.

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