The General Assembly today concluded its high-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, with several Member States remembering how the Organization’s peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts lifted them out of conflict and put them back on the path to a better future.
Delegates called upon the United Nations Department of Global Communications to counter the spread of misinformation and discrimination associated with the COVID‑19 pandemic, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate today.
As the as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate today, some delegates called upon the administering Powers of Non‑Self‑Governing Territories to fulfil their responsibilities under the Declaration on Decolonization, while others emphasized the importance of cooperation between peace operations and host countries.
Concerns about corruption, decolonization and safe havens for illicit financial flows were at the forefront today as delegates, concluding the debate on strengthening the rule of law, reported on efforts to promote the principle both nationally and internationally, while outlining how the absence of the principle diverted resources and undermined trust. (For background, see Press Release GA/L/3621.)
The Governments of Sudan and South Sudan should leverage their burgeoning bilateral rapprochement to make progress on the sensitive issue of the Abyei border region, Security Council members urged today, as senior officials outlined the latest progress and challenges on the ground.
The President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals appealed to Member States of the General Assembly today for their continued support as it adapts its working methods to COVID‑19 pandemic restrictions while striving to conclude outstanding cases from the conflicts in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, as some delegates’ raised concerns about genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals by certain authorities.
Amid the COVID‑19 pandemic, the role played by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is more urgent than ever, delegates said today, calling for solutions to its financial crisis as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its joint general debate.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its debate on the rule of law at the national and international levels today, the Assistant Secretary‑General for Strategic Coordination introduced the Secretary‑General’s report on the topic, describing the challenges of promoting the rule of law and fighting corruption in the face of emerging realities such as the COVID‑19 pandemic.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) concluded its general debate today amid warnings that transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups are driving illicit arms transfers and weaponizing cyberspace while geopolitical tensions increase the risk of nuclear escalation.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded its debate on strengthening and promoting the international treaty framework today, speakers highlighted the importance of developing online tools to facilitate the treaty process and the need to correct the geographic imbalance in the registration of these instruments.
