Impediments to freedom of expression for women, discrimination against migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic and an uptick in enforced disappearances were among the concerns addressed by human rights experts in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates raised questions about how better to protect vulnerable communities during interactive dialogues.
Unabating attacks by illegal armed groups in the Central African Republic are exacerbating the already‑fragile security situation and undermining valuable progress made in establishing institutional stability, the Head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission there told the Security Council today, as members examined the situation ahead of an imminent vote on renewing the Mission’s mandate, which expires on 15 November.
Concluding a fiercely contested debate on crimes against humanity, before also taking up treaty registrations, administration of justice and an observer status request, delegates of the Sixth Committee (Legal) stressed that any future convention on the matter would only be as successful as the consensus it can gather. (For background, please see Press Release GA/L/3638.)
United Nations initiatives to counter disinformation — especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic — and to provide populations around the globe with reliable and evidence-based content, were among several topics spotlighted today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) took up questions relating to information.
The Security Council decided this evening to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) to 15 July 2022 and request the Secretary-General to assess its mandate, including whether and how it could be adjusted to address Haiti’s ongoing challenges.
Despite the regional cooperation evident in various areas of the disarmament agenda — including nuclear‑weapon‑free zones, cyberspace and small arms and light weapons — States in possession of the largest arsenals must urgently do better, delegates told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, during its second virtual meeting.
Senior officials from Kosovo and Serbia traded accusations of each other’s non-compliance of agreements today as the Security Council considered the recent escalation of tensions between the two sides, trust-building measures and whether the presence of the United Nations special political mission in Kosovo is still necessary.
The imminent fifth anniversary of the historic peace accord between Colombia and former opposition armed groups offers an opportunity to acknowledge its successes and commit to overcoming challenges that stand in the way of realizing its transformative potential, the senior United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today.
Labour leaders, lawyers, journalists and citizens peacefully advocating for democratic reform are often jailed in reprisal for their engagement with United Nations mechanisms, the Independent Expert charged with investigating their plight told the Third Committee today as delegates took part in a series of virtual dialogues on broad human rights questions.
During a briefing today in which senior United Nations officials detailed the recent intensified conflict and the deepening humanitarian crisis situation in Yemen, a speaker from an independent think tank told the Security Council that international organizations have failed to ensure aid reaches Yemenis in need, describing this dereliction as “the worst international response” to a humanitarian crisis in the world.
