The second session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction concluded today with the adoption of the Conference report and rules of procedure. The Conference also established a Working Committee for the intersessional period.
The Security Council today renewed for an additional three months its authorization for States and regional organizations cooperating with Somalia to use all necessary means to fight piracy off the coast of the East African country.
Adopting two consensus resolutions today, the General Assembly recognized the unifying power of sport and science as humanity struggles to emerge peacefully from a devastating global pandemic.
Significant steps have been taken in the pursuit of justice and securing accountability for victims, including by gathering and analysing evidence of crimes perpetrated by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), and tying those crimes to specific members, the head of the United Nations team tasked with investigating atrocity crimes by that group told the Security Council today.
The Security Council heard the annual briefing from the chairs of its three counter-terrorism Committees today, as members stressed the importance of cooperation among the three bodies to mount a united front against the growing global scourge.
Adopting three resolutions by recorded vote on the questions of Palestine and the Middle East, the General Assembly today called for respect for the historic status quo at the holy places of Jerusalem and stressed the need to urgently exert collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues in the Middle East peace process.
To break the deadlock over the long-standing Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the international community must focus less on political paradigms and more on what is happening on the ground, the representative of a leading think tank told the Security Council today, as members expressed grave concerns over rising tensions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Ridding the Middle East of its nuclear arsenal will help bring lasting peace to the chronically strife‑torn region and make the world a safer, more secure place, the United Nations Secretary‑General said today, as he opened the second session of the Conference on the Establishment of a Middle East Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and Other Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Israel’s continued illegal settlement activities were signalling its blatant rejection of the two-State solution, the Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine said today during a special meeting to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestine People.
After unanimously adopting two draft resolutions pertaining to the Economic and Social Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today, the General Assembly also concluded its debate on equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council.
