With illicit trade in small arms and light weapons fuelling conflict, aggravating the humanitarian situation and undermining development, over 50 speakers during today’s open debate in the Security Council emphasized the need for political will and effective arms management to tackle the trafficking and diversion of weapons and ammunition to conflict zones.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) sent 10 draft resolutions to the General Assembly as it concluded its work today, culminating in a heated discussion over language on diversity, sexual orientation and gender identity in a draft related to elections, after sparring on other texts that referenced sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Concluding its seventy-sixth session today, the Sixth Committee (Legal) upheld its tradition of consensus and approved without a vote 15 draft resolutions, along with a draft decision and a draft letter, marking the end of 29 socially distanced meetings over which members met — together but apart — to consider the evolving face of international law in a world still in the grips of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today approved nine resolutions, voting on three of them, including one expressing deep concern over 1.3 billion people in 109 developing countries living in multidimensional poverty, with steep inequities in income, wealth and opportunities.
Urgent steps must be taken to address the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and stave off economic collapse, speakers in the Security Council said today, as delegates expressed concern about the recent uptick in terrorist attacks and reports of human rights violations.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) approved six draft resolutions today, five of which focused on country-specific situations, while the last drew attention to the precarious conditions of refugees, returnees and displaced persons in Africa.
Welcoming the completion of recent elections to the Upper House of Parliament in Somalia, a senior United Nations official in that country, along with an official of the African Union and a civil society representative, told the Security Council that more must be done to ensure the full inclusion and representation of women in the country’s political system, while also highlighting the serious threat by armed groups to Somalia’s security.
Delegates called for innovative ways to foster cooperation in overcoming growing divergence in the non-proliferation arena, as the General Assembly took up the annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency alongside a related draft resolution.
Media experts called for the broader application of solutions journalism — an approach focusing on problem-solving responses — in reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as the 2021 International Media Seminar on Peace in the Middle East concluded today.
The General Assembly continued its debate on Security Council reform today, with delegates continuing to call for urgent action given the multitude of new and complex global challenges.
