The General Assembly today concluded its discussion on the question of equitable Security Council representation with speakers echoing the need to adapt to new and emerging global challenges by boosting the organ’s transparency, legitimacy and membership. (For details, see Press Release GA/12217.)
The Security Council risks losing legitimacy unless it reforms and expands its membership to include developing States, particularly from Africa, delegates told the General Assembly today, with many stressing that intergovernmental negotiations, held over nearly 20 years, must now bear fruit if the United Nations “most important” body is to emerge strong and effective from a bygone era.
Member States expressed their concerns today that the ongoing construction project at the United Nations premises in Geneva might require more assessed contributions from them, as the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) discussed ways to mitigate a possible cost overrun for the more than $800 million undertaking in the Swiss city.
Opening its seventy‑second session today, the Trusteeship Council elected Jonathan Guy Allen of the United Kingdom as its President and Anne Gueguen of France as its Vice‑President.
The first ever 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 a political declaration.
Calling the launch of a Constitutional Committee for Syria a potentially historic moment, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria warned the Security Council today that conditions on the ground must improve to give the talks a chance for success in ending the years-long conflict.
Parties to the conflict in Yemen – still home to one of the world’s most brutal conflicts and its worst humanitarian crisis – have reached several key compromise agreements, which has led to a dramatic drop in the tempo of war, the senior United Nations official in the country reported today, as he urged the Security Council to do everything possible to sustain that crucial momentum.
Following a briefing by the Director-General of the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Security Council today condemned the use of such weapons “anywhere, at any time, by anyone”, reaffirming that they are a threat to international peace and security.
The General Assembly concluded its high‑level meeting on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, hearing from youth delegates who called for action on protecting their rights, planet and future.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today introduced 16 draft resolutions and approved two, including one calling on the international community to condemn unilateral economic, financial or trade measures impeding development.
