General Assembly

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ introduction to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) of the proposed programme budget for 2021, in New York today:

Holding a virtual meeting today, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard introductory statements and questions relating to international cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and peacekeeping operations.  It also heard an introductory statement on questions relating to information.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) held a virtual meeting today, hearing introductory statements and questions on the effects of atomic radiation, decolonization questions and special political missions.

With COVID-19 continuing to wreak havoc on national economies, delegates urged the international community to focus on sustainable development in recovering from the pandemic´s devastating effects, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its general debate today.

A new arms race and emerging bioterror threats are unfolding as the world tackles the COVID‑19 pandemic and a global economic downturn, the Chair of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) warned today at the start of its annual general debate.

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to wipe out a generation of progress in gender equality, United Nations experts told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as they led a series of interactive dialogues that explored how best to uphold the rights of women and children amid increases in violence and suffering brought on by new virus-induced realities.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of measures to eliminate international terrorism, delegates held a heated debate, describing the challenges to their countries and their efforts to address and combat the global threat inside and outside their national borders.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to expose glaring weaknesses in the economies of vulnerable States, battering their recovery and requiring assistance from the international community, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it continued its general debate today.

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its debate on social development today, with delegates drawing attention to the world’s lack of preparedness for COVID-19, a challenge that has exacerbated inequalities between and within countries, raising human rights concerns.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved today its work programme for the seventy‑fifth session of the General Assembly, covering the decolonization of the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories, peacekeeping operations, the plight of Palestine refugees and Israel’s practices affecting the human rights of Palestinians and other Arabs in the occupied territories, among several agenda items.