With 1.6 billion people depending on forests for food, fuel, shelter and income, now was the time to strengthen the global political commitment to sustainably manage one of the planet’s most cherished resources, top United Nations officials stressed today, as the United Nations Forum on Forests opened its eleventh session.
Fervent calls by survivors and activists for genuine and sustained efforts towards the abolition of nuclear weapons dominated the 2015 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) today, as non-governmental organizations addressed delegates at Headquarters.
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues concluded its fourteenth session today, sending nine draft reports to the Economic and Social Council containing proposals, recommendations and three draft decisions, including a call for the General Assembly to consider establishing a procedure to guarantee indigenous peoples’ participation in its seventieth session.
The top Palestinian diplomat at the United Nations this afternoon called on the Organization to include Israel’s army among the parties that committed grave violations against children during armed conflict, and to hold it accountable for attacks last year on United Nations-run schools sheltering civilians in Gaza.
Indigenous representatives today called upon States to implement the provisions of international instruments and their national legislation guaranteeing their rights, and sought assistance from the Permanent Forum as that body concluded debate on several topics.
Considering that there were enough nuclear weapons to put an end to the whole planet in minutes without anyone or anything able to help, nuclear doctrines were therefore “doctrines of death” in which “all were losers,” the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference heard today during its fourth day of deliberations.
Hopes of achieving the universality of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) were becoming “ever more remote” amid new challenges to the global security architecture and a general slackening of political will, its Review Conference heard today, as State parties continued a third day of deliberations.
The recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights to self-determination, autonomy and self-governance must be woven into the post-2015 development agenda to ensure inclusive political participation and a sharpened focus on outstanding land disputes and other pressing concerns, delegates heard as the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues discussed emerging issues and continued its segment on rights.
Transparency, inclusivity, multilingualism and a balance between new media and traditional forms of communications were paramount in the work of the Department of Public Information, Cristina Gallach, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information of the United Nations, told delegates as the Committee on Information concluded its general debate.
The Security Council this morning decided to extend until 30 April 2016 a modified arms embargo on Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the targeted travel and financial sanctions on individuals deemed to threaten reconciliation in the West African country.
