The Economic and Social Council today appointed an additional member of the Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti, adopting three decisions including those on geospatial information and enlargement of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved 19 draft resolutions and one draft decision on nuclear weapons, including a draft resolution entitled “Nuclear Disarmament”, which drew extensive debate.
As part of its annual tradition, the Sixth Committee (Legal) welcomed the President of the International Court of Justice today, who detailed the organ’s working methods designed to persuade States to place their trust in this “world court”.
Experts emphasized the need to address food insecurity, conflict-destroyed homes and civil society reprisals as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its dialogues on human rights today, also focusing on inescapable poverty, leprosy discrimination and restricted rights to assembly.
Amid a situation in a downward spiral, marked by an increase in violence across the Occupied Palestinian Territory, determined actions by both parties are urgently needed to reverse negative trends on the ground, the senior United Nations official for the Middle East peace process told the Security Council today, cautioning delegates that a failure to address the root causes of the escalation will only worsen an already explosive situation.
Delegates from the Global South underscored the many ways in which space technology can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and called for greater efforts to that end, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued today its consideration of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for twelve months — until 31 October 2023 — as members welcomed the appointment of Abdoulaye Bathily as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya and Head of UNSMIL, who officially assumed his duties on 25 September.
Mandate holders presenting reports on human rights situations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi and Eritrea today defended their work against delegates’ criticism of their activities, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues on human rights.
The world’s worst-kept secret is that the United Nations disarmament machinery is falling apart, but by no stretch of the imagination is that the only problem, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today, as it concluded its series of thematic debates for the session.
The Security Council today voted to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 October 2023, calling on the parties to resume negotiations in good faith towards a mutually acceptable political solution for the region.
