To prevent outer space from becoming another military battlefield, delegates today explored ways to establish a rules‑based order to securely govern that sphere, which they called “a common asset for humanity”, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its work.
With an economy in free fall, 70 per cent youth unemployment, widely contaminated drinking water and a collapsed health care system, Gaza has become “unliveable”, the Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, insisting that all parties — particularly Israel — bring an end to “this disaster”.
Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the Syrian Golan continue to deprive populations living there of their rights and to hinder their development in all spheres, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as it took up the issue of those lands.
Data-sharing policies help developing countries benefit from space technology and mitigate the effects of climate change, delegates told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, as it continued its general debate on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
Global partnerships are instrumental in harnessing investment, transferring technology, generating employment and promoting training, but must be tempered by adherence to United Nations values and Global Compact principles, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it took up that topic today.
So-called “sensitivities” and relativist arguments invoking culture do not absolve States from their human rights obligations, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates sparred with experts over country-specific mandates for situations in Myanmar and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Speakers called today for more dialogue and partnerships between spacefaring nations and emerging space nations to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
Spotlighting continued violations of bans on chemical and biological weapons, delegates discussed how best to effectively address those threats and ensure the destruction of remaining stockpiles, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its debate on other weapons of mass destruction.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) debated the financial situation of the United Nations today, with the representative of the United States — responding to criticism from developing countries — asserting that her country remains committed to the Organization and is fully meeting its financial commitments, albeit later in the year than other Member States.
Continuing its consideration of the report of the International Law Commission today, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates critiqued the Commission’s working methods while parsing the nuances in draft conclusions that had been adopted on the first cluster of topics under discussion.
