The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on questions relating to information today, with speakers spotlighting the provision of timely, accurate, reliable and impartial information to global and local populations alike.
In progress at UNHQ
General Assembly: Meetings Coverage
The Economic and Social Council used the past year to advance the Organization’s unwavering commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with a high-level meeting that zeroed in on the challenges created by the escalation of socio-economic divisions around the globe, the Council’s President told the General Assembly today.
Chemical and biological weapons had become the best alternative to nuclear weapons for rogue States and non-State actors, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it concluded its thematic debate on weapons of mass destruction and opened debate on conventional weapons.
Spotlighting the significant effects of transboundary hazardous activities, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates debated the necessity of developing an international legal framework based on the draft texts on the prevention of transboundary harm from hazardous activities and the allocation of loss in the case of such harm, or keeping those texts as non-binding measures that provide standards of conduct for States.
Measures to address reprisals against civil society actors and human rights defenders, the frightening increase in missing persons and the impact of unilateral coercive measures on already lagging economies were among topics addressed today by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), as it held a debate on the promotion and protection of human rights.
The work of the Department of Global Communications is as critical as ever as the international community grapples with the manifold challenges of a global pandemic, the negative impacts of climate change and a resurgence of conflict, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today as it took up questions relating to information.
Nearly a dozen years after its creation by the Security Council, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is ready to transition from a fully operational court to a truly residual institution, its President said today as she briefed the General Assembly on its work over the past year.
No United Nations Member State was too big to disarm on its own and none too small to make a contribution, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) was told today as it concluded its thematic debate on nuclear weapons and began consideration of other weapons of mass destruction.
Climate change as a driver of migration, an increase in enforced disappearances, the misuse of digital technologies violating the right to privacy and educational disparities worldwide were among concerns addressed by human rights experts in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today. With delegates raising questions on how to effectively protect affected populations during interactive dialogues.
Ensuring the safety and security of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives is crucial for international relations to function, speakers stressed today in the Sixth Committee (Legal), as they contrasted national endeavours with examples of inadequate responses to violations committed against such personnel in receiving States.