Meetings Coverage

For more than four decades the United Nations had advanced the rule of law through its Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law, delegates told the Sixth Committee (Legal) today, as it discussed the Programme’s work. A continued shortage of financial resources, however, might impede the Organization’s ability to continue the process in the future.

Global economic recovery remained “very vulnerable to further negative shocks”, a panel of World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials told the Second Committee (Financial and Economic) today during a briefing on the outcome of the 2011 annual meetings of the Bretton Woods institutions.

For the United States, when it came to non-proliferation, arms limitation and disarmament agreements and commitments, “rules must be binding, violations must be punished, and words must mean something”, that country’s representative told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today upon the introduction of a draft resolution on compliance.

Delegates in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today stressed the importance of preventing an arms race in space and ensuring that its peaceful uses remained cooperative and not competitive to avoid setting spacefaring nations against non-spacefaring ones, and to make the best use of space-driven data for sustainable development.

Taking action for the first time this session, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today approved four draft resolutions that aim to bolster the global fight against transnational organized crime — including by strengthening international cooperation to curb money-laundering and terrorism financing — and a text that welcomes the launch of the International Year of Cooperatives, slated for 31 October.

The current global financial crisis should in no way impact upon the delivery of official development assistance pledges, and more must be done to meet those commitments, delegates in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) stressed today.

In a complex and dangerous world, the “bitter reality” was that the possession of nuclear weapons by some gave others the excuse to acquire them, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) was told today during its thematic debate on nuclear weapons, which also heard the introduction of three draft resolutions.

The Security Council today, at the conclusion of its open debate on security sector reform in Africa, emphasized that establishing effective, professional and accountable security sectors was at the cornerstone of peace and sustainable development.

Welcoming an agreement to transfer lead security responsibility for the entire territory of Afghanistan to the Government of that country by the end of 2014, the Security Council this morning extended the authorization of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) for one year, ending 13 October 2012, unanimously adopting resolution 2011 (2011).

Space science and technology could significantly improve living conditions, conserve natural resources, and enhance natural disaster preparedness in developing countries, the Fourth Committee was told today as it continued its consideration of international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.