As the Sixth Committee’s (Legal) resumed session on its agenda item “Crimes against humanity” entered its second day, delegates grappled with the challenge of defining such crimes in a way that balances facilitating future development on the one hand and establishing legal certainty on the other — all in service of preventing and punishing some of the most serious international crimes.
Education is a door-opener and a life-changer, especially for girls and women, senior United Nations officials stressed, as the Commission on Population and Development opened its fifty-sixth session, against the backdrop of a global learning crisis.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) resumed its session on agenda item, “Crimes against humanity”, delegates debated whether a new convention on such crimes would close gaps in the current international legal framework and if that instrument, based on the draft articles by the International Law Commission, should be inspired by existing texts, including the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and international conventions addressing genocide and torture.
The Security Council today discussed the risks posed by the illicit and unregulated export of weapons and military equipment during an open debate convened by the Russian Federation on that theme, as some members traded barbs on the supply of weapons to States in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Economic and Social Council filled vacancies in 14 subsidiary bodies today through election by both acclamation and secret ballot, also adopting four decisions pertaining to organizational matters.
The Disarmament Commission’s 2023 substantive session began today by bringing into sharp focus the nuclear risks faced by the international community, as speakers stressed the alarming increase of dangerous nuclear rhetoric amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and the crucial need to prioritize disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control measures.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today wrapped up the first part of its resumed seventy-seventh session by sending the General Assembly one decision and four resolutions, including the first human resources management package in more than six years.
Fair and inclusive tax systems are essential in enhancing developing countries’ efforts to strengthen their financial and fiscal policies and accelerating the green transition, the Economic and Social Council heard today, as members held the 2023 Special Meeting on International Cooperation in Tax Matters.
The Russian Federation’s recent announcement of plans to station non-strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus represents the first “nuclear sharing” agreement made since the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons entered into force in 1970, the senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today, emphasizing that — against the backdrop of the Ukraine conflict — the risk such arms will be used is higher today than at any time since the end of the cold war.
Highlighting the links between durable peace, inclusive development, security and stability in the African continent, speakers in the Security Council today emphasized the need for greater international cooperation and support for “African solutions to African problems”, during a debate on the impact of development policies in implementing the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative, one of the signature events of Mozambique’s presidency.
