General Assembly: Meetings Coverage

The General Assembly today, amidst several demands, called for increased funding for the operations of the International Court of Justice, as it debated pressing legal issues worldwide.

Highlighting a sharp rise in the proliferation and use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on behalf of the Core Group of countries, the delegate for Portugal told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) that recent developments regarding their manufacturing with commercial parts and components pose several ethical, humanitarian and legal challenges related to responsibility and accountability.

Troubled by the ongoing liquidity crisis impeding the United Nations’ ability to deliver on its mandates, delegates at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today emphasized that Member States’ timely payments of assessed contributions to the regular budget is crucial. Delegates voiced their displeasure that Member States with the highest arrears have aggravated the Organization’s financial situation, noting that there are about $1.5 billion in unpaid regular budget assessments at the end of the third quarter, the highest amount in four years.

Continuing their debate on the first cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s annual report, speakers in the Sixth Committee (Legal) today weighed in on how international law should address novel topics — such as how rising sea levels will affect the rights of States submerged — and complex ones, such as how to uphold immunity while avoiding impunity.

Acting without a vote, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution on the University for Peace today, with delegates commending the University’s commitment to the education of women in peace and its contributions to promoting the culture of peace.

Amid a climate of systemic impunity, aggressors and their accomplices must be held accountable for crimes against humanity and genocide, delegates told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today during a continued discussion on human rights.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its debate on Cluster I of the International Law Commission’s annual report, some delegates called for the list of crimes relating to the immunity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction to be expanded, others underscored the importance of international cooperation in tackling sea-level rise, while still others urged the Commission to consider the plurality of different legal systems in its future work.

The resolutions adopted by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) during this session will impact the lives of millions worldwide, the President of the General Assembly said today, calling for global transformation rooted in international law and respect for human rights.

The long-established rules against the development, stockpiling or use of chemical and biological weapons are under threat, the representative of the United Kingdom told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today in its thematic debate on weapons of mass destruction, following the conclusion of the debate on nuclear weapons.

All efforts must be made to reduce nuclear risks, including the promotion of dialogue by all and a reduction of the role of nuclear weapons in national policy, the representative of China tells the First Committee, as it continued its thematic debate on nuclear weapons.