Amid rising geopolitical tensions and the peace and security architecture under unprecedented strain, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) has a key role in ensuring disarmament will be at the centre of broader multilateral efforts at this critical moment in history, the body heard today at the start of its 2023 general debate.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today tackled a diverse set of financial issues that included adequate funding to safely drawdown a peacekeeping mission in Africa, creating a stable financing mechanism for the Organization’s Peacebuilding Fund and exploring changes in the complex methodology used to assess Member States’ contributions. As they opened their seventy-eighth session and approved their work programme, delegates also discussed the Organization’s liquidity woes and once again urged each other to make timely payments so the Organization can fulfil the core mandates laid down by Member States.
Youth delegates pushed for more inclusion in addressing crises affecting their future, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its debate on social development today, with delegates also voicing stark warnings about global conflict, increasing poverty, climate disasters and discrimination.
Endorsing a political declaration adopted by world leaders last week, the General Assembly today reaffirmed its commitment to lift millions out of poverty and fight extreme hunger as initially pledged in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with speakers divided over language or the lack thereof in the text on issues pertaining to climate change, the global economy, unilateral coercive measures and gender-based targets.
The Security Council today decided to renew, for a period of 12 months, its prior authorization allowing Member States to inspect vessels on the high seas off Libya’s coast, when there are reasonable grounds to believe they are participating in acts of migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved its work programme f
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization Committee) approved its programme of work for the General Assembly’s seventy-eighth session today, covering topics ranging from the decolonization of the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories and United Nations peacekeeping operations to the plight of Palestinian refugees and the peaceful uses of outer space, among other items.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) opened its seventy-eighth session today, with delegates emphasizing that progress towards inclusive and sustained development has been stymied by a myriad of factors, including increasing inequalities, economic volatilities, global conflicts and climate change.
Armed groups’ activities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to pose security challenges and exacerbate a humanitarian situation, with 6 million people displaced, the top United Nations official in the country told the Security Council today as she called on regional stakeholders to support the Nairobi and Luanda processes and ensure the protection of civilians.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the United Nations General Assembly held the first meeting of its seventy-eighth session today, introducing its new Bureau and approving its organization of work.
