Meetings Coverage

The Economic and Social Council Youth Forum concluded its annual session today.

Urging maximum restraint following recent escalations in the Middle East, the Head of the United Nations urged an end to the deadly cycle of retaliation and called on the international community to work together to avert a full-scale regional conflict, first by ending hostilities in Gaza and ultimately by realizing the two-State solution, as the Security Council today convened its quarterly open debate on the situation in the region.

The Security Council today blocked Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the United Nations due to a United States veto on a draft resolution that would have recommended the granting of such status.

The Head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) told the Security Council today that the Agency is the “backbone” of the humanitarian response in Gaza, noting that — while its mandate is supported by an “overwhelming” majority of Member States — it faces efforts to push it out of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Reforming climate financial systems requires youth engagement, climate justice for vulnerable communities and recognition of Indigenous communities’ role in preserving biodiversity, young leaders told the Economic and Social Council’s annual Youth Forum today. They also urged for the inclusion of youth in building resilient agrifood systems and backing youth-led hunger solutions.

The multifaceted challenges facing the Mediterranean amplify the region’s fragility and pose a fundamental obstacle to peace and security, the Security Council heard today as delegates underscored that the region’s youth are both the greatest victims of the security challenges and a key to resolving them.

The world needs the infectious energy and conviction of young people to tackle interlinked challenges, tragedies and injustices, the Head of the United Nations told a global youth forum today, pledging that he will bring this demographic into political decision-making.

The obstinance of the rival Governments and other key players in Libya is exacerbating the country’s political impasse and obstructing plans to hold elections this year, risking further instability, the UN’s top official there told the Security Council today.

The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues today began its twenty-third session under the theme “Enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ right to self determination in the context of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: emphasizing the voices of Indigenous youth. ".

In the wake of recent attacks on Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — Europe’s largest — the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned the Security Council today that the first-ever war to be fought amid the facilities of a major nuclear power programme is bringing the prospect of nuclear accident “dangerously close”.