While dubbing the New Urban Agenda an engine for economic growth, poverty reduction and environmental protection, especially during the COVID‑19 pandemic, delegates also lamented insufficient funding to keep its wheels turning, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‑Habitat) today.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today amid warnings that disregard for international disarmament agreements is resulting in the use of chemical weapons, imperilling sustainable development efforts and eroding trust on safety, from online to outer space.
Significant investment in infrastructure will be needed to ensure that developing countries can fully recover from the COVID‑19 pandemic, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and Economic and Social Council today as they held a joint meeting titled “Developing sustainable infrastructure and utilizing science and technology in response to COVID‑19”.
Beginning their general debate on a range of topics today, speakers in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) called upon United Nations peace operations to learn from the COVID‑19 pandemic in terms of planning future mandates, as others emphasized the enduring importance of multilingualism in the face of emerging constraints on resources.
Delegates discussed a variety of non‑proliferation efforts and obstacles on the road towards a nuclear‑weapon‑free world, with some States declaring deterrence as a factor shaping security strategies, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today.
Aside from weakening vital medical systems, damaging the global economy and slowing development gains, the COVID‑19 pandemic has also caused “profound, multi-faceted blows” to fundamental freedoms worldwide, curbing vital civil liberties, the United Nations human rights chief warned the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates continued their broad focus on protecting vulnerable communities.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its consideration of the International Law Commission’s draft articles on crimes against humanity, speakers debated on whether or not a convention, based on those texts, should be elaborated.
Already impacted from economic slowdowns in recent years, efforts by States to eradicate poverty have been hindered by the devastating consequences of COVID‑19, delegates of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) stressed today as they discussed tourism and eradication of poverty.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) turned its attention to the broad promotion and protection of human rights today, with United Nations experts addressing nuanced questions around child marriage, persons with disabilities trapped in conflict zones and conditions in countries that have raised concerns for years.
The General Assembly today elected 15 States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe. It also paid tribute to the late Amir of Kuwait, with speakers remembering him as a champion of peace, diplomacy and humanitarian action.
