Decolonization must be accompanied by reparations, public investments, debt cancellation and climate resilience, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it continued its debate on decolonization.
Critical to the rule of law is criminal accountability for United Nations officials and experts on mission, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today, and speakers spotlighted the importance of both as debate concluded on the former and commenced on the latter.
Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, challenges to international peace and security, geopolitical tensions and armed conflicts, as well as possible threats from artificial intelligence, remained central topics of the general debate today in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security).
With artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovations changing the global digital landscape at breakneck speed, their promise must not leave developing countries behind, senior United Nations officials told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as it took up information and communications technologies (ICTs) as well as migration.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of “the rule of law at the national and international levels” today, speakers detailed how its interaction with the International Law Commission can bridge State perspectives and legal expertise.
Do not reduce Western Sahara to a border dispute, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today from some petitioners, while others stressed the need to begin negotiations based on Morocco’s autonomy plan.
As the world wades through uniquely challenging times and realities, the imperative of modifying the operating philosophy and working methods of the United Nations is a fact that can no longer be postponed or treated casually. This was the dominant position of speakers today as the General Assembly debated both joint implementation of UN resolutions and revitalization of the Assembly’s work.
Artificial intelligence is reproducing and amplifying discrimination against women and girls, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today, as experts warned that rapidly evolving technologies are opening new avenues for violence, exploitation and exclusion.
Rising debt servicing costs combined with drastically falling official development assistance (ODA) and illicit financial flows continue to hinder progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), speakers warned today as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up macroeconomic policy questions.
Speakers lamented the failure to reach consensus on non-nuclear proliferation and small arms treaties as well as the uptick in related rhetoric, also condemning the continuous brutal attacks on civilian architecture in Ukraine, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today. Underscoring the cornerstone status of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the representative of the Philippines stressed that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is also a historic milestone, complementing other nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation instruments.
