Chemical and biological weapons had become the best alternative to nuclear weapons for rogue States and non-State actors, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today as it concluded its thematic debate on weapons of mass destruction and opened debate on conventional weapons.
The situation in the Central African Republic remains a cause for international concern, with violence from resurgent armed groups and ongoing instability at all levels, speakers told the Security Council today as it addressed the mandate of the mission there.
The Security Council entity overseeing sanctions on Somalia received a final report, as well as two thematic reports from its Panel of Experts, its Chair said today, as he briefed the 15-member organ on its work between 22 June and 19 October.
Spotlighting the significant effects of transboundary hazardous activities, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates debated the necessity of developing an international legal framework based on the draft texts on the prevention of transboundary harm from hazardous activities and the allocation of loss in the case of such harm, or keeping those texts as non-binding measures that provide standards of conduct for States.
Measures to address reprisals against civil society actors and human rights defenders, the frightening increase in missing persons and the impact of unilateral coercive measures on already lagging economies were among topics addressed today by the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), as it held a debate on the promotion and protection of human rights.
The work of the Department of Global Communications is as critical as ever as the international community grapples with the manifold challenges of a global pandemic, the negative impacts of climate change and a resurgence of conflict, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today as it took up questions relating to information.
Nearly a dozen years after its creation by the Security Council, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is ready to transition from a fully operational court to a truly residual institution, its President said today as she briefed the General Assembly on its work over the past year.
No United Nations Member State was too big to disarm on its own and none too small to make a contribution, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) was told today as it concluded its thematic debate on nuclear weapons and began consideration of other weapons of mass destruction.
Climate change as a driver of migration, an increase in enforced disappearances, the misuse of digital technologies violating the right to privacy and educational disparities worldwide were among concerns addressed by human rights experts in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today. With delegates raising questions on how to effectively protect affected populations during interactive dialogues.
As senior representatives from Serbia and Kosovo traded divergent opinions about the cause of regional insecurity and the reasons for the lack of progress in discussions between both parties, the United Nations top official in Pristina called for restraint and constructive dialogue through all available channels, as some delegates continued to question the need to maintain the Organization’s transitional administration mission in Kosovo.
