Meetings Coverage

Middle-income countries were vulnerable to being caught in a “middle-income trap”, whereby they risked losing their competitiveness to low-income countries while still lacking the technological edge to catch up to high-income ones, the representative of the Bahamas said as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up globalization and interdependence.

As delegations decried the impasse in the Conference on Disarmament, Pakistan’s representative said today that its “lacklustre performance” did not derive from the “myth” of organizational or procedural issues, but was instead a reflection of the external political environment, which underpinned the deadlock in nuclear disarmament — the Conference’s raison d’être — for more than 30 years.

After 20 years of negative developments on the ground, the United Nations senior political official today urged taking advantage of the opening presented by resumed talks between Israel and Palestine to help resolve entrenched regional differences and achieve the long-desired vision of two States living side by side in peace and security.

By creating synergy between Member States, the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space would take the lead role in stimulating the advancement of space science and technology for the benefit of all humankind, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it began its annual deliberations on the peaceful uses of outer space.

United Nations standards for the treatment of prisoners were outdated and required revision in the areas of solitary confinement and investigation, the Special Rapporteur on torture said today, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) began its discussion on human rights.

The future form of the draft articles on transboundary harm from hazardous activities, the draft principles on allocation of loss in the case of such harm, and the draft articles on the law of transboundary aquifers remained in question as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up those matters today.

Unless concerted efforts were taken to close the digital divide, many developing countries could miss economic opportunities, the representative of Nigeria said today as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up information and communications technology.

The world risked falling into a “globalization of indifference” and must act with one voice to ban all mass destruction weapons, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today at the conclusion of its thematic debate on nuclear weapons, which over the course of four days had been characterized by a mix of frustration and cautious optimism.

Building on the momentum created during their latest round of talks in Kampala, Uganda, the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the 23 March Movement armed group needed to reach a peace accord based on the principles of sustainability and accountability, and must not allow amnesty for the perpetrators of war crimes, or crimes against humanity, the Security Council heard today.

Representatives of the four countries that led the Security Council’s recent mission to Africa’s Great Lakes region briefed the 15-member body today, underscoring the need for continued progress in the Kampala peace process and showcasing their support for the United Nations-brokered peace accord to stabilize the volatile area.