A top United Nations political official warned the Security Council this morning that peace arrangements in eastern Ukraine were progressing far too slowly to end the violence and tensions there, and called on all actors to work more urgently toward durable peace.
The Security Council today authorized the African Union to maintain deployment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until 30 November 2015, while also amending several aspects of the sanctions regime against the strife-torn east African nation.
Migrants and internally displaced persons needed identification without fear of detention or deportation to fully enjoy their human rights, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today as eight United Nations human rights experts presented their reports on issues spanning from the right to food to trafficking.
Last year’s chemical attacks in Syria “shocked an entire world” and were a reminder that the use of weapons of mass destruction remained a serious threat, heard the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as it began its thematic debate on weapons of mass destruction.
Data and information were “transformative” tools that could empower individuals, communities and societies, and bring all together to chart the direction for the future, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it concluded its discussion on questions relating to information.
When using mass surveillance tactics to combat terrorism, it was imperative that States complied with international human rights law, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today during interactive debates with experts as it continued its discussion on the protection and promotion of human rights and approving draft resolutions on literacy and crime prevention.
After deliberating on draft articles addressing the effects of armed conflicts on treaties and the responsibility of international organizations, the Sixth Committee (Legal) today approved, without a vote, requests for Observer status for the International Institute for the Developing Eight Countries Organization for Economic Cooperation and the Pacific Community.
The current global financial and economic crisis undermined development in the least developed countries, many of which continued to “lag in meeting most of the internationally agreed development goals”, Bolivia’s representative told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as delegates met to discuss groups of countries in special situations.
In a day-long open debate today that heard from more than 55 speakers, the Security Council considered improvements to the way it followed up on its referrals to the International Criminal Court, as well as the manner in which due process was applied in targeting sanctions.
Transferred and traded around the globe, “excessive accumulation and unregulated proliferation” of illicit small arms and light weapons led to devastating consequences, say speakers in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as thematic debate on conventional weapons continued.
