Meetings Coverage

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.

Welcoming advances in Somalia’s fight against Al-Shabaab and in its planning for political and economic progress, speakers in the Security Council called today for international support with a view to building consensus throughout the East African country with the approach of critical elections in 2020.

Facing a significant spike in armed group attacks, countries of Africa’s Sahel region need redoubled support to prevent a flood of terrorists from spreading across the wider continent — and even beyond — the Security Council heard today, as it was briefed by a range of stakeholders.

The world has not kept its promises to its children, many of whom are at risk of “being left behind”, the General Assembly heard today as it marked the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child — also known as the most widely adopted international treaty in history.