UN - UN Affairs

1. Syria’s hopes for renewal hinge on rebuilding trust, lives and livelihoods

   A country long known as a meeting point of civilizations, Syria stands once again at a crossroads.

2. UN chief hails Syria’s ‘moment of possibility’ on first visit since fall of Assad regime

   Syria has an opportunity not only to recover from conflict but to build “a future that is more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous for all Syrians”, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in Damascus on Saturday as he began a landmark visit to the country.

3. World News in Brief: New ECOSOC chief, Secretary-General candidates’ debate, torture in Mali, drowning prevention

   Amar Bendjama, Permanent Representative of Algeria to the UN, was elected on Thursday to serve as the next president of the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

4. UN scraps rule forcing it to repay money it never received

   The United Nations has overhauled a decades-old “Kafkaesque financial rule” that requires it to return unspent funds to Member States - even when those funds had never been deposited in the first place.

5. Guterres urges renewed commitment to multilateralism on UN Charter Day

   Secretary-General António Guterres and General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock reaffirmed the principles outlined in the UN Charter and called for a renewed commitment to multilateralism at a General Assembly meeting on Friday marking the Charter’s 81st anniversary.