The Economic and Social Council was the most important body in the implementation of the newly adopted ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the General Assembly heard today as Member States commented on the Council’s latest annual report.
Decrying crimes committed by the small number of United Nations officials and experts on mission, speakers in the Sixth Committee (Legal) today said such acts tarnished the reputation of the Organization and damaged relations with local populations, as they called for perpetrators to be held to account.
“Nuclear weapons are a loaded gun pointing to the head of humankind,” the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today at the conclusion of an annual debate that reflected a growing appetite for weighing the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and the imperative of putting an end to their testing, frustration over the stand-off in the disarmament treaty-making body, and the disproportionate impact of small arms and light weapons — for which progress hinged on consistency with national interests.
Speakers praised the African Union’s ambitious 50-year “Agenda 2063”, which together with its first 10-year implementation plan, the Addis Ababa funding scheme, and the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, was a holistic and coherent framework for advancing and following up on Africa’s development, the General Assembly heard today as it took up the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) unanimously approved a draft resolution today, by which the General Assembly would urge all mine-affected States to identify all areas containing mines and other explosive remnants of war, and engage in clearance when possible.
Comprehensive measures and international cooperation were necessary to protect children from violence, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today as it concluded its debate on the rights of children.
Underscoring parity and fairness, delegates called for the equal treatment of States in the promotion of the rule of law, as well as improved leverage for countries with limited capacities in multilateral treaty processes, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its deliberations today on the principle.
The contemporary global security architecture was “fraying”, and hopes for a peace dividend generated by the end of the cold war were “increasingly giving way to the advent of a new cold war”, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it continued its general debate.
In one round of voting, the General Assembly today elected Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay to serve as non-permanent members of the Security Council for the next two years.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its consideration of decolonization questions this morning, forwarding 11 draft resolutions to the General Assembly, five of which it approved by recorded votes.
