The United Nations must listen to the people on the ground in the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today from elected officials and petitioners from British Virgin Islands, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, New Caledonia, and Guam who detailed long years of colonial occupation as well as new horizons of progress.
Regional and global cooperation is essential to combating organized crime — from smuggling of firearms and narcotics in the Caribbean and wildlife trafficking in the Amazon to cyberscams in South-East Asia — delegates told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today concluded its debate on the topic of the protection of persons in the event of disasters, speakers shared their national practices in managing the aftermath of such events, with many calling for the International Law Commission’s draft articles to be used as guidelines, while others underscored the importance of an international legal document to expedite disaster aid and assistance.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today tackled how — or even whether — to recalibrate the complex financial methodology used to determine how much money each Member State will contribute to the Organization’s regular and peacekeeping budgets.
Facing a cascade of climate disasters, conflicts and economic strains, the world is sliding backwards on poverty, hunger, gender equality and education — requiring immediate concerted action as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recede out of reach for developing countries - speakers stressed today as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) opened its annual general debate.
Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu warned the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today upon day one of its general debate that “the window for progress in disarmament seems to be shrinking”.
The General Assembly today adopted the Political Declaration of last month’s high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance, recognizing it is one of the most urgent global health threats, and demanding immediate action to safeguard the ability to treat diseases, enhance food security and advance the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“It is unacceptable to prolong the decolonization processes of the 17 existing Non-Self-Governing Territories,” Costa Rica’s delegate said today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate on decolonization and related agenda items.
Delegates in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today spotlighted the numerous challenges facing developing countries — such as armed conflict, climate change, poverty and food insecurity — and shared national and global initiatives aimed at safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable, as their discussion on social development continued.
Amidst ever-more-frequent wildfires, drought, cyclones, flooding, hurricanes and other hazards, the Sixth Committee (Legal) today deliberated over the International Law Commission’s draft articles on the protection of persons in the event of disasters as delegates discussed States’ obligations to their citizens and to each other in the wake of the devastation caused by these events.
