The General Assembly, acting without a vote, adopted a resolution today that acknowledges the role of the International Criminal Court in ending impunity and promoting human rights, and calls upon States to cooperate with the tribunal regarding the arrest of fugitive defendants.
The General Assembly today concluded its high-level meeting to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, with several Member States remembering how the Organization’s peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts lifted them out of conflict and put them back on the path to a better future.
Honduras deposited the fiftieth instrument of ratification to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, resulting in it being entered into force in January 2021. The Secretary-General said the Treaty is a commitment towards the elimination of nuclear weapons, which is the Organization’s highest disarmament priority.
The President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals appealed to Member States of the General Assembly today for their continued support as it adapts its working methods to COVID‑19 pandemic restrictions while striving to conclude outstanding cases from the conflicts in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, as some delegates’ raised concerns about genocide denial and the glorification of war criminals by certain authorities.
The General Assembly today elected 15 States to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for promoting and protecting all human rights around the globe. It also paid tribute to the late Amir of Kuwait, with speakers remembering him as a champion of peace, diplomacy and humanitarian action.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the sixteenth plenary meeting of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly: Tribute to the Memory of His Highness Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, in New York today:
The world must return to the path of nuclear disarmament towards strengthening global security and diffuse a looming arms race among nations with atomic arsenals, the Secretary‑General told the General Assembly at a high‑level meeting commemorating and promoting the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
The United Nations human rights office called today for urgent action to address the dire situation of migrants attempting to cross the central Mediterranean Sea in search of safety in Europe, and to tackle the shocking conditions they face in Libya, at sea, and frequently, upon their reception in Europe.
Mayerlín Vergara Pérez from Colombia is the 2020 laureate of the Nansen Refugee Award, the UN refugee agency announced today. The Caribbean Regional Coordinator for the Renacer Foundation has spent more than two decades helping the non-profit pursue eradication of sexual exploitation and abuse of children and adolescents.
Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the High‑Level Meeting on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held today:
