Commencing its debate on the work 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 reaffirmed the importance of that entity’s work, while remaining divided on the value of some of its agenda items.
The proliferation of weapons and rising military activism made it appear as though the world was engaged in another “cold war with a race for weapons”, delegates warned today as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) concluded its general debate.
Countries were striving to combat climate change and support economic development at the national level, but greater international assistance was required to achieve the 2030 Agenda, speakers said today as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its debate on sustainable development.
Regional cooperation, access to education and increased funding held the key to ending the nightmare lived by over 1 billion children across the world as a result of physical, emotional and sexual violence, United Nations experts told members of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian & Cultural) today.
While deferring action on four observer requests, the Sixth Committee took up the report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) fiftieth session that included possibilities of reform, as well as the finalization and adoption of two legislative texts in the areas of electronic commerce and secured transactions.
Most large-scale disasters were climate-related, with devastating floods, droughts and storms doubling over the last four decades, a United Nations official told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it took up sustainable development today.
States must overcome narrow national interests and “misguided notions of parity” to overcome the disarmament machinery’s deadlock and lead the Conference on Disarmament to adopt a programme of work, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as its general debate entered a second week.
While Argentina would always defend the right to self‑determination everywhere, that principle was not absolute and must not be used as a pretext for interfering with the territorial integrity of existing States, the country’s representative cautioned today, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on decolonization issues.
The United Nations must ensure that the impact of its Economic and Social Council — a critical platform for measuring sustainable development progress and amplifying stakeholders’ voices — was “greater than the sum of its parts”, the General Assembly heard today as it considered the Council’s diverse activities in 2017.
Social customs and norms often erected barriers to women’s access to the resources needed for them to gain economic independence, speakers today told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), concluding discussions on the advancement of women.
