Opening its 2023 session today, the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization heard from speakers debating the propriety of sanctions, the Committee’s working methods and consideration of proposals, as well as its role of supporting Member States in the peaceful settlement of disputes.
The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty resumed its fifth session today, as the President of the Conference called on delegates to find through commitment, flexibility and creative approaches a text that bridges the existing gaps.
The General Assembly adopted five consensus resolutions today on Africa’s development and durable peace across the continent, sustainable development, global health and chemical weapons, with the latter surviving a challenge by a competing resolution put forth by the Russian Federation, which also issued a litany of amendments to the text.
Encouraging deeper collaboration and constructive dialogue to expedite the end of colonialism, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said ensuring the aspirational needs of small island territories under the purview of the Special Committee on Decolonization are met is a global responsibility.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the General Assembly’s consultation on Our Common Agenda/Summit of the Future, in New York today:
With the so-called “Doomsday Clock” at 90 seconds from midnight — or total global catastrophe — amid a host of multilevel global crises, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres laid out his critical priorities for 2023 to the General Assembly today, urging Member States to seize the moment and act before it is too late.
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ briefing to the General Assembly meeting on the priorities of the Organization for 2023, in New York today:
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:
Voting by secret ballot, the General Assembly today elected Inger Andersen (Denmark) — on the nomination of the Secretary-General — as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) for a second term of four years, commencing on 15 June 2023 and ending on 14 June 2027, following the defeat of a request to the Secretary-General to invite Member States to present candidates for that position.
Speaking at the largest General Assembly gathering since the COVID-19 pandemic halted in-person events and devastated global travel some three years ago, world leaders this September called on the international community to unite in the face of the conflict in Ukraine, global climate emergency, and emerging food, fuel and cost-of-living crises.