Reflecting a growing divergence on how best to rid the world of atomic arsenals, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) held more than 50 separate recorded votes on multiple provisions of the 22 nuclear‑weapon‑related draft resolutions and decisions Member States approved today.
Frustration with a lack of meaningful progress and divisions over the appropriate scope and application of universal jurisdiction permeated the discussion in the Sixth Committee (Legal) today, as delegates took up the report of the Secretary‑General, “The scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction” (document A/75/151).
Delegates called today for inclusive discussions and the swift appointment of a new Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General to move the Western Sahara peace process forward, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate on a range of topics.
The General Assembly, acting without a vote, adopted a resolution today that acknowledges the role of the International Criminal Court in ending impunity and promoting human rights, and calls upon States to cooperate with the tribunal regarding the arrest of fugitive defendants.
The General Assembly today concluded its high-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, with several Member States remembering how the Organization’s peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts lifted them out of conflict and put them back on the path to a better future.
Delegates called upon the United Nations Department of Global Communications to counter the spread of misinformation and discrimination associated with the COVID‑19 pandemic, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate today.
As the as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate today, some delegates called upon the administering Powers of Non‑Self‑Governing Territories to fulfil their responsibilities under the Declaration on Decolonization, while others emphasized the importance of cooperation between peace operations and host countries.
Concerns about corruption, decolonization and safe havens for illicit financial flows were at the forefront today as delegates, concluding the debate on strengthening the rule of law, reported on efforts to promote the principle both nationally and internationally, while outlining how the absence of the principle diverted resources and undermined trust. (For background, see Press Release GA/L/3621.)
The President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals appealed to Member States of the General Assembly today for their continued support as it adapts its working methods to COVID‑19 pandemic restrictions while striving to conclude outstanding cases from the conflicts in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, as some delegates’ raised concerns about genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals by certain authorities.
Amid the COVID‑19 pandemic, the role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is more urgent than ever, delegates said today, calling for solutions to its financial crisis as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate.
