General Assembly

Acting without a vote, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution today, concluding its general debate on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today recommended to the General Assembly the appointment of the top audit official of China to the three‑member United Nations Board of Auditors, which examines the accounts of United Nations entities, while also forwarding to the Assembly approved nominations of members of some subsidiary bodies.

Warning about the increasing weaponization of outer space, delegates called today for a legally binding instrument to make up for deficiencies in the existing treaty, during a joint ad hoc meeting of the First (Disarmament and International Security) and Fourth Committees (Special Political and Decolonization).

Delegate after delegate commended the International Law Commission for including “Sea‑level rise in relation to international law” in its programme of work and called for urgent action to address the legal implications of climate change and its effects on maritime borders, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded consideration of the first cluster of topics from the Commission’s annual report and took up the second cluster.

Deeply frustrated at the current deadlocked disarmament machinery, delegates offered fresh suggestions on how best to re-activate it at a time when its guidance is urgently needed to ease escalating global tensions, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) concluded its thematic discussion on the matter today.

One year after the signing of the Global Compact on Refugees, the inaugural Global Refugee Forum, to be held in Geneva in December, will offer a unique opportunity to meet the commitments of this historic 2018 agreement, Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) delegates said today, calling on the international community to tackle the causes of displacement.

Warning about the increasing weaponization of outer space, delegates called today for a legally binding instrument to make up for deficiencies in the existing treaty, during a joint ad hoc meeting of the First (Disarmament and International Security) and Fourth Committees (Special Political and Decolonization).

While the world is not yet on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, there is still time for a course correction, the former President of the Economic and Social Council told the General Assembly today.

Amid waning trust in multilateral institutions, the International Court of Justice remains a vital force for guarding and enhancing the rule of law at the international level, the General Assembly heard today, as speakers called on all States to accept the Court’s compulsory jurisdiction and ensure it is adequately funded.

Delegates today set out their countries’ positions on a Middle East zone free of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, the subject an upcoming conference at Headquarters, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) concluded its thematic discussion on regional disarmament and security.