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.
As ongoing conflicts, economic volatility and gaping inequality shadow development prospects, regional commissions today highlighted in a joint meeting with the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) the urgent need to bridge digital gaps in sparking opportunity and driving innovation, with the Committee also discussing challenges hampering countries in special situations in a separate session.
Reaffirming the important work of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today approved without a vote a resolution concerning that body, as speakers underscored the imperative of concerted and apolitical scientific work on this matter while also considering how to improve their working methods.
Marking the seventy-fifth session of the International Law Commission, the Chair of the Sixth Committee (Legal) highlighted the Commission’s contribution to the development and codification of international law, as delegations took up its annual report today and began their debate on the first of three clusters of topics, including “Immunity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction”, “Sea-level rise in relation to international law” and “Other decisions and conclusions of the Commission”.
Presenting reports on such topics as truth and redress, child migrants, enforced disappearances and albinism, United Nations-appointed experts called for accountability for human rights violations as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues today.
Inclusion and equal participation in systems that provide law and justice — for all individuals at the national level and all States at the international one — is crucial to upholding the rule of law, speakers stressed in the Sixth Committee (Legal) today, as it concluded its debate on that principle against the backdrop of a challenging geopolitical context.
