Meetings Coverage

While the world is tantalizingly close to ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, the risk of backsliding is great due to shortfalls in funding, lack of political will and intersecting inequalities, the General Assembly heard today.

Welcoming the Syrian interim authorities’ continued engagement to address chemical-weapons issues long left unresolved by that country’s previous Administration, the United Nations’ disarmament chief told the Security Council today that international support is needed to fully realize the elimination of Syria’s chemical-weapons programme.

The Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution aiming to ameliorate the plight of civilians in Gaza, as the United States vetoed the measure despite affirmative votes by the other 14 members of the 15-nation organ.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today approved without a vote a draft resolution to advance the comprehensive review under way of peacekeeping operations by the Special Committee dedicated to peacekeeping.

The General Assembly elected a total of 20 new members to the Economic and Social Council today who will begin their terms on 1 January 2026.

The General Assembly today elected Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia as non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning on 1 January 2026.

Pledging to serve the international community as “an honest broker and unifier”, Annalena Baerbock of Germany was elected as President of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly — the fifth woman to serve in that post in 80 years.

The Security Council today extended for one year the sanctions regime it has imposed on South Sudan, which includes asset freezes, travel bans and an arms embargo — even as some speakers expressed concern that the African position on this issue is being ignored and sanctions are getting misused as a tool for coercion.

The Security Council today adopted the draft of its annual report to the General Assembly, which covers the 15-nation organ’s work from 1 January to 31 December 2024.

The Security Council today met for a second consecutive day on Ukraine, as the Russian Federation accused European States of artificially keeping the issue in the spotlight and obstructing peace by arming Kyiv.