Amidst calls for reforming the Security Council and other organs of the United Nations, delegates in the Sixth Committee (Legal) reaffirmed the importance of the work of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on Strengthening the Role of the United Nations.
While the United Nations Department of Public Information had made great strides in new media and in promoting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, challenges remained in terms of language parity and maintaining traditional communications platforms, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it began its consideration of questions relating to information.
Pledging to support an Africa that was stable, prosperous and at peace with itself, speakers today warned the General Assembly that poor infrastructure and trade barriers still hampered the continent’s development, while challenges such as “brain drain” and terrorism threatened to reverse significant gains made since the turn of the millennium.
The migration crisis, forced marriage, forced labour and sexual slavery were only some of the problems facing the children around the world, speakers told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today as it moved into its second day of discussion on the rights of children.
Underscoring the importance of moving forward, but disagreeing on the next steps, delegates in the Sixth Committee (Legal) today continued their deliberations on the principle of universal jurisdiction, its application and scope.
Although more than 95 per cent of the world’s population were now covered by mobile networks, it was necessary to bridge the digital divide between and within countries, said Thailand’s representative today as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) debated “Information and communications technologies (ICTs) for development”.
Amid rising terrorist threats and rapid technological advances, the potential “catastrophic” impact of nuclear terrorism required the international community to urgently band together to prevent nuclear and other toxic materials from falling into the wrong hands, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard during a thematic discussion and debate.
Delegates at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) voiced their concerns with the financial shortfall facing the Organization’s regular budget before sending the General Assembly a draft resolution on programme planning that laid out priorities for the 2018-2019 biennium.
Harnessing the benefits of space science and technology was crucial for the global effort to eradicate poverty and realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it concluded its general debate on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
On the heels of what had been hailed as a historically transparent and inclusive selection process, the General Assembly this morning, for the ninth time since 1946, chose its next Secretary-General, appointing by acclamation António Guterres of Portugal for a five-year term starting 1 January 2017.
