Meetings Coverage

The International Court of Justice’s contributions to the United Nations were evident not only in its establishment of the Organization’s international legal personality, but by clarifying the Organization’s role and place in the world’s legal regime, as well as the scope of its powers with which it was entrusted, the President of that Court told Sixth Committee delegates today.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today recommended personnel appointments to fill upcoming vacancies in the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and two other bodies that help the 193 delegates manage the United Nations vast human resources and its finances.

Determined to achieve the effective prohibition of the development, production, acquisition, transfer, stockpiling and use of chemical weapons and their destruction, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved a draft resolution on the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention that would reaffirm the obligation of States parties to destroy their stockpiles.

The International Criminal Court should be properly funded, particularly when it came to cases referred to it by the Security Council, the General Assembly heard today, as it concluded its debate on the Court’s report.

Speakers expressed unanimous satisfaction with the quality, independence, transparency and efficiency of the work of the International Court of Justice, and greater nuance in their responses to the International Criminal Court as the General Assembly took up the reports of those two bodies today.

The era of accountability and rule of law upon which to build the future of Libya may be within reach of its people, Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, told the Security Council this morning as it addressed the situation in that country.

Divergent opinions on the protection of civilians — including whether and when force could be used in defence of that mandate — emerged today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) concluded its annual debate on United Nations peacekeeping operations.

Trafficking and targeted violations against women, indigenous peoples and other groups were among the national, regional and global concerns delegates raised as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its discussion on the promotion and protection of human rights, introduced 14 draft resolutions and approved, without a vote, 6 texts on issues ranging from counter-terrorism to efforts to end gender-based violence.

Reiterating its deep concern at the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved a new draft revised resolution containing a universal declaration on the achievement of a nuclear-weapon-free world, one of 20 passed today.

Libya’s leaders had a unique opportunity to reach a political settlement that would spare their people further bloodshed, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in that country told the Security Council today, emphasizing that the recently negotiated Political Agreement sought to create a viable middle ground upon which all stakeholders could meet.