General Assembly: No name

Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today reacted to the Secretary-General’s proposed programme budget of $2.99 billion for 2021, a net reduction of 2.8 per cent over 2020.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) began consideration of the annual reports on criminal accountability for United Nations officials and experts on mission today, some speakers called on Member States whose nationals were alleged to have committed a crime to provide previously requested information on those cases, while other stressed that primary jurisdictional responsibility laid with the alleged perpetrators’ State of nationality.

The ravaging effects of climate change, exacerbated by lingering repercussions of the COVID‑19 pandemic, threaten achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals according to reports of the Secretary‑General presented by a number of speakers to the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today.

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today, with delegates calling for action to end gun trafficking, address the grave humanitarian impact of such conventional weapons as cluster munitions and anti‑personnel mines, and to avoid a regional arms race in the Middle East.

Growing numbers of indigenous peoples are succumbing to extreme poverty, amid a spike in land evictions and loss of traditional livelihoods brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations expert charged with assessing their wellbeing told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates raised questions and concerns about their plight.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ introduction to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) of the proposed programme budget for 2021, in New York today:

Holding a virtual meeting today, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard introductory statements and questions relating to international cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and peacekeeping operations.  It also heard an introductory statement on questions relating to information.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) held a virtual meeting today, hearing introductory statements and questions on the effects of atomic radiation, decolonization questions and special political missions.

With COVID-19 continuing to wreak havoc on national economies, delegates urged the international community to focus on sustainable development in recovering from the pandemic´s devastating effects, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its general debate today.

A new arms race and emerging bioterror threats are unfolding as the world tackles the COVID‑19 pandemic and a global economic downturn, the Chair of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) warned today at the start of its annual general debate.