Africa and Asia would lead urban population growth over the next four decades as the number of people on those continents soared to 4.5 billion by 2050, according to a United Nations report released at Headquarters today.
In progress at UNHQ
Press Conference
The Prime Minister of the Central African Republic made an impassioned plea today for the international community to help his Government successfully launch and maintain a new institutional framework for the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants, saying it was crucial to the country’s efforts to reform the security sector and jump-start development.
The Government of Syria was firmly committed to the success of the United Nations-supported plan to end the crisis in the country and would meet the deadline for pulling back heavy weaponry, but some countries were subverting the plan through their interventionist intentions and continued support for the armed opposition, the country’s Permanent Representative said today.
Mine action entailed improving the livelihoods of the affected people, not just removing landmines, United Nations experts said at Headquarters today as they marked the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
Today’s suicide bombing in Mogadishu, which killed six people, injured scores of others and seemed to be an attempt on the life of Somalia’s Prime Minister, showed that the Horn of Africa country still faced serious threats despite recent progress, the Chargé d’affaires at its Permanent Mission to the United Nations said this afternoon.
Introducing the Security Council programme of work for the April presidency of the United States today, the country’s Permanent Representative said control of nuclear weapons and illicit cross-border traffic would be highlighted alongside the conflicts in Syria, Mali and elsewhere. “The greatest danger that we and all States around the world face is a nuclear weapon or nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists,” said Susan Rice.
Despite revamped policies to protect Colombian children from recruitment as into armed forces, efforts in that regard remained insufficient, experts said today at a Headquarters press conference to launch a new report on the issue.
The past six months had seen an active, responsive General Assembly that had been relevant in addressing many of the key global issues of concern to all, its President, Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser (Qatar), said at Headquarters today, pledging a redoubling of efforts to achieve success on all remaining matters on the organ’s agenda in the remaining six months of its current session.
Declaring that “failure is not an option,” Omar Jamal, Chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of Somalia to the United Nations, today reaffirmed the commitment of Somali transitional authorities to the full implementation by 20 August of a time-bound road map that would set the country on the path towards political stability.
The head of the United Nations Postal Administration today kicked off the Organization’s celebration of World Autism Awareness Day with the announcement of the launch on 2 April of a series of postage stamps featuring the work of eight artists with autism.