Meetings Coverage

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.

Without greater awareness of the human rights values and concerns encompassed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, its implementation would be “difficult, if not impossible”, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today, as it began its general discussion on the rights of indigenous peoples.

Despite the more than 40 years it had taken the International Law Commission to finalize its draft articles on State responsibility for internationally wrongful acts, delegates could still not find consensus on whether to codify them in a convention, as the Sixth (Legal) Committee began deliberations on the matter.

A lack of access to the sea, as well as remoteness, made doing business with major markets expensive for landlocked developing countries, said the representative of Botswana today as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) discussed countries in special situations.

No State or international body could address the immediate humanitarian emergency caused by a nuclear weapon detonation or provide adequate assistance to victims, the representative of New Zealand told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, in a joint statement on behalf of 124 Member States and the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today discussed a wide range of hiring and workplace practices — from recruitment to ethics to consultants — as it considered nearly a dozen reports meant to monitor the management of tens of thousands of the Organization’s employees around the globe.