Delegates from developing countries put a harsh spotlight today on the human cost of the worldwide proliferation of small arms and light weapons alongside ballooning military budgets, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate.
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General Assembly: Meetings Coverage
Concluding their debate on the scope and application of universal jurisdiction, and beginning consideration on the Organization’s internal justice system, as well as the Special Committee on the Charter, delegates of the Sixth Committee (Legal) today shared a wide range of stances on the complex issues before them.
An increase in enforced disappearances, anti-Semitic incidents, and deaths of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean were among the concerns addressed in briefings to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates engaged with human rights experts in interactive dialogues.
With unilateralism, protectionism and inequalities casting a shadow on globalization, delegates underscored the importance of opening up trade and closing the digital divide in boosting economic growth, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up globalization and interdependence today.
Renaming the Department of Global Communications was a reflection of a shift in the way in which the United Nations approaches communications, the departmental head told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today after it approved three draft resolutions on decolonization issues before taking up questions relating to information.
The General Assembly today elected 14 States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe.
Amid a crumbling foundation of the international disarmament and non‑proliferation architecture, efforts must focus on returning to a multilateral path towards the commonly shared goal of a world without nuclear weapons, delegates said, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate.
Ensuring the protection of human rights in counter‑terrorism instruments, tackling contemporary threats to judicial independence, and the role of multinational forums in fostering a more equitable world order were among the topics addressed in briefings to the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates engaged with experts in lively interactive dialogues.
Despite a significant reduction in the rate of worldwide extreme poverty, speakers stressed that eradicating it has slowed, especially in rural areas, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met to take up that issue today.
Delegates remained divided on the appropriate forum for continuing discussions on the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) resumed its consideration of the matter today.