The Chair of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today asked delegations to imagine a world without the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons Convention or the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and said the picture would be gloomy.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) urgently requires sustainable financial support to continue its life-saving assistance in the Gaza Strip, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as speakers renewed calls for a humanitarian ceasefire and respect for international humanitarian law.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) sent the General Assembly 10 nominations for the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions today, also delivering the names of 15 additional candidates for three other bodies and recommending that the Chair of the Federal Court of Accounts of Brazil fill an upcoming vacancy in the Board of Auditors.
Member States today reiterated their profound trust in the International Court of Justice's integrity, independence and expertise as the General Assembly resumed its discussion on the matter, with speakers pointing out that the Court’s geographically and topically expanding caseload demonstrates its growing significance.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today forwarded 21 draft resolutions and 1 draft decision to the General Assembly, including a traditional text related to regional disarmament and security in the Mediterranean region, which, despite its approval, provoked debate among some Member States.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today took up the topic expulsion of aliens, speakers debated the appropriate outcome of the International Law Commission’s draft articles, with many pointing to a required balance between State’s sovereign right to expel a person and protection of that person’s human rights, including the principle of non-refoulement.
As the General Assembly concluded its emergency session on the situation in the Middle East, many Member States, condemning Israel’s bombardments of Gaza, demanded a humanitarian ceasefire to deliver aid to Palestinians in need, while others continued to express regret that the 193-member body was unable to condemn Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel and echoed calls for the release of hostages.
The General Assembly today adopted its annual resolution calling for an end to the United States-led embargo on Cuba, with speakers stressing the urgency of that action, including in the global economic insecurity following the COVID‑19 pandemic, and the need to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), acting without a vote, today approved a draft resolution on United Nations special political missions, following a general debate that underscored their key role as versatile peacebuilding tools which require adequate funding — and a bigger role for women — to ensure success.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its discussion of the third cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s annual report today, as delegates debated the weight that should be accorded to the decisions of international courts and tribunals in the context of the body’s work on “Subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law”.
