As the Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty continued its resumed fifth session, the Secretary-General sent a message to delegations, urging them to adopt a robust and ambitious agreement that advances ocean health for future generations.
The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on Strengthening the Role of the Organization today failed to approve its annual draft report as a whole, approving instead one section of the text to forward to the General Assembly, as members concluded their 2023 session without consensus on several elements.
The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty continued its resumed fifth session today, as the President of the Conference, underscoring that “the time is ticking”, urged delegations to focus on the “must-dos” and “must-haves” to close on the text.
As the Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty went into its second week of negotiations focusing on an updated text, some delegations expressed concern that not all proposals have been reflected in the revisions and called for flexibility, confidence-building and maintaining integrity of the process under the auspices of the Conference President’s leadership.
The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty convened its fourth plenary today, as the President of the Conference encouraged delegations to make an effort to work through the text focusing on “must have” provisions.
The General Assembly adopted three consensus resolutions today, one under peacebuilding and sustaining peace and two under global health and foreign policy. The latter — which included a resolution on the high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response — notably saw the inclusion of a draft amendment, the rejection of a separate one and a recorded vote on a preambular paragraph.
The following statement was issued today by the Bureau of the General Assembly's Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People:
The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty continued its resumed fifth session today, as the President of the Conference noted that delegates were “four days closer to the finish line” of achieving that goal.
The General Assembly adjourned its emergency special session on Ukraine today on the eve of the first anniversary of the Russian Federation’s invasion of that country, adopting a resolution that underscored the need to urgently reach peace, demanded that the Russian Federation withdraw its military forces and emphasized the need to ensure accountability for crimes committed on Ukraine’s territory.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening of the 2023 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, in New York today:
