While the international disarmament machinery remains elemental in the pursuit of a world free of weapons of mass destruction, that effort is stalling in the face of unabated existential threats, delegates emphasized today, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) entered the fifth day of its general debate.
Indigenous peoples living in urban areas are liable to face racial discrimination, poverty and stigmatization, the United Nations expert responsible for assessing their well-being told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates held a discussion on the issue.
Speakers in the General Assembly today discussed the best way to move the United Nations forward over the next 25 years as Member States work to revitalize the Organization and better equip its main organs to address pressing global challenges faster and more efficiently.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its debate on the rule of law at the national and international levels today, many delegates championed rebuilding public institutional trust — eroded by rampant inequalities laid bare by COVID-19 — through a people-centered approach, while others stressed the need to respect State sovereignty in this arena.
In recovering from economic downturns sparked by COVID‑19, warding off future calamities and meeting development targets, speakers urged nations to conserve resources and build resilience by closing wide inequities between countries, especially through debt forgiveness, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its general debate today.
The world is at a point where cooperation and multilateralism must replace tensions and division, the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs said today, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) convened the first of three virtual dialogues to be held during its seventy-sixth session.
Petitioners described human rights violations faced by women in Sahrawi refugee camps, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its hearing of petitioners on the question of Western Sahara today in the context of its consideration of items related to decolonization.
Condemning the use of chemical and biological weapons as unacceptable under any context or circumstances, delegates urged all States to abide by critical existing international instruments for their regulation, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today.
With their progress hindered by the climate crisis and the COVID‑19 pandemic, least developed countries aim to use an upcoming United Nations conference as a springboard to recover from their economic woes, echoed delegates as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up groups of countries and special situations today.
Amidst sharing lessons learned from counter-terrorism battles on old and new fronts, delegates, while noting that the vacuum created by the lack of a comprehensive convention was an overarching concern, cautioned against double standards and called for whole-society solutions, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism.
