Meetings Coverage

A holistic approach, combining enhanced regulatory policies and law enforcement mechanisms, greater supply chain transparency, support for counter‑terrorism frameworks, as well as cross-border coordination and information-sharing, is required to clamp down on the illicit trafficking of natural resources and its fuelling of terrorism and violent extremism by armed groups and terrorists in African continent, speakers said during a debate on the issue, one of the signature events of Gabon’s presidency.

Speakers underscored the importance of international cooperation in ensuring criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission, while also highlighting pre-deployment training and the role of women peacekeepers in preventing acts of sexual exploitation and abuse, as the Sixth Committee took up the Secretary-General’s reports on the matter.

Delegates stressed the need to address barriers to women’s human rights and empowerment, including female genital mutilation, obstetric fistula, gaps in female political representation and limited access to economic production, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its debate today on the advancement of women.

The persistent question of Western Sahara took centre stage in the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today as petitioners from both sides presented differing positions regarding that Non-Self-Governing Territory’s relationship with Morocco.

The ballistic missile launch of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 4 October was a reckless act and a clear violation of Security Council resolutions, a United Nations senior political and peacebuilding official told the Security Council today, as members demanded that Pyongyang refrain from further provocations, engage in meaningful dialogue and halt its nuclear and missiles programmes.

As the twenty-seventh Conference of the Parties approaches, developed countries must deliver on their commitments on climate change, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it continued its general debate today.

The President of the General Assembly urged Fifth Committee delegates today to transcend politics and put aside their differences as they ensure the efficient management of the Organization’s resources and assess the long-term viability of an annual budget cycle.

Our times are far from ordinary, with the world confronted by unprecedented, interlinked crises, the ramifications of which profoundly affect all aspects of our lives, the General Assembly President told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today, as it continued its general debate.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism today, as delegates offered suggestions and reported successes in combating a phenomenon that is both evolving in complexity and exacerbated by current global crises.

Against a backdrop of new political developments in some Non-Self-Governing Territories, petitioners stressed the importance of listening to people’s voices as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate on decolonization.