Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu warned the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today upon day one of its general debate that “the window for progress in disarmament seems to be shrinking”.
The General Assembly today adopted the Political Declaration of last month’s high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance, recognizing it is one of the most urgent global health threats, and demanding immediate action to safeguard the ability to treat diseases, enhance food security and advance the Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“It is unacceptable to prolong the decolonization processes of the 17 existing Non-Self-Governing Territories,” Costa Rica’s delegate said today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate on decolonization and related agenda items.
Delegates in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today spotlighted the numerous challenges facing developing countries — such as armed conflict, climate change, poverty and food insecurity — and shared national and global initiatives aimed at safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable, as their discussion on social development continued.
Amidst ever-more-frequent wildfires, drought, cyclones, flooding, hurricanes and other hazards, the Sixth Committee (Legal) today deliberated over the International Law Commission’s draft articles on the protection of persons in the event of disasters as delegates discussed States’ obligations to their citizens and to each other in the wake of the devastation caused by these events.
Two years after the September 2022 explosions that severely damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the Security Council met today at the request of the Russian Federation, who, in the absence of a briefer, assessed national investigations into the blasts, while criticizing the lack of conclusive findings and the 15-member organ’s collective action on the matter.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved its programme of work for the General Assembly’s seventy-ninth session today, with topics ranging from the decolonization of the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories to the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Amid “the perfect storm” of escalating geopolitical tensions, climate change and lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) opened its seventy-ninth session today, with delegates calling for stronger international cooperation to advance social development, bridge the digital divide and alleviate poverty.
Continuing its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism, Sixth Committee (Legal) speakers expressed concerns over the threats posed by the scourge in the Sahel region and the evolution of new and emerging terrorist threats, while others stressed that terrorism should not be a pretext to interfere in domestic affairs of States.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) opened its seventy-ninth session today, approving a programme of work with topics ranging from international trade, debt and development financing to global partnerships, poverty eradication and food security.
