General Assembly

The General Assembly today elected 18 States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe.

Taking up the report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on Strengthening the Role of the United Nations, the Sixth Committee (Legal) today debated ways to better ensure the peaceful resolution of disputes, highlighting the important knowledge held by regional organizations that might aid the abatement of conflicts.

Delegates at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today asked the Secretariat for a comprehensive analysis of its proposal to fortify the independence of the United Nations Ethics Office.

Mounting a staunch defence of multilateralism, delegates in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) praised the détente on the Korean Peninsula, urging States to continue the difficult, pragmatic work needed to build durable peace around the world.

Calling for access to education and eliminating child labour, as well as bolstering equal treatment for women in the labour market, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its debates on children’s rights and women’s advancement today.

Stagnation, corruption and terrible conditions threaten the well-being of young people in Western Sahara’s refugee camps, petitioners from Non‑Self‑Governing Territories told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, as it continued its general debate on decolonization.

Unilateral coercive measures and trade practices harm the global economy as well as countries at the regional and national levels, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today during its debate on Macroeconomic policy questions.

A fair and effective administration of internal justice not only enables staff to perform their best, but also ensures that the Organization becomes a better employer, retains the best employees and, more importantly, upholds its ideals, delegates stressed as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up that topic.

With children’s aspirations still falling short of global commitments to improve their well‑being, and some calling those pledges a “distant dream”, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its debate on children’s rights today amid urgent appeals that they be central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Many petitioners accused Morocco of committing human rights violations in Western Sahara today, while others praised the kingdom’s autonomy proposal for the Territory, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on decolonization.