Meetings Coverage

Representatives of international, regional and non-governmental groups discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations small arms action plan, with many urging States to fully implement the 2001 instrument and others cautioning against infringing legitimate business and personal rights, as the Fifth Biennial Meeting of States continued its session today.

Amid deteriorating security and increased violence in the northern town of Kidal, the ceasefire agreement between Mali’s Government and warring armed forces was an “important step in the right direction” to ending the West African country’s protracted crisis, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Security Council this morning.

The General Assembly’s six Main Committees elected their Bureaux for the sixty-ninth session today, with the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) holding a secret ballot requested by the Group of Arab States over Israel’s nomination as Vice-Chair.

International cooperation and assistance in capacity-building and technology transfer were key to the implementation of the United Nations Programme of Action to counter the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, delegates concurred as the fifth Biennial Meeting of States moved into day three of its session.

Systematic and wide-spread crimes continued to be committed with total impunity in Darfur nearly 10 years since the situation there was referred to the International Criminal Court, Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the Security Council today.

The Security Council today unanimously adopted two resolutions addressing threats to international peace and security, the first on the Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and the second relating to the Taliban sanctions regime.

New weapon design and production methods — including the use of “3D” printing and non-traditional materials, such as polymers — had the potential to profoundly influence how weapons were marked and traced, and records kept, delegates heard today as the Fifth Biennial Meeting of States to combat the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons moved into day two of its session.

Resumed political dialogue between the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and the former ruling party was a significant step towards national reconciliation, but security and stability remained fragile, the head of the United Nations operation in that country told the Security Council today.

The General Assembly, adopting two resolutions today, endorsed the proposals of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and followed up progress on the social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), as well as approved the four-year appointment of Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan as the new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.