The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) punctuated its series of interactive dialogues today, with a briefing by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees who rallied Governments to draw inspiration from the world’s 82 million people forcibly displaced who refuse to give up on their quest to build a better life.
Amid intensifying insecurity and a worsening humanitarian situation in Mali, profound political and governance reforms are crucial to creating the conditions for credible elections and enduring stability, the senior United Nations official in that country told the Security Council today.
The Security Council today decided to extend the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) until 31 October 2022, emphasizing the need for a realistic, practical, enduring and mutually acceptable political solution based on compromise for the region.
Stressing the importance of reflection over reflexive judgement, the President of the International Court of Justice told the Sixth Committee (Legal) today that it is the genuine airing of a variety of perspectives which makes that institution truly a world court.
Issuing a warning to Member States about the ongoing threat of terrorism in Mali, delegates also called for elections there next February and noted signs of progress in Niger as they briefed Member States on the Security Council mission to those countries from 22 to 26 October 2021.
Strongly condemning attacks against schools, children and teachers today, the Security Council urged parties to armed conflict to immediately stop such violence and to safeguard the right to education.
While many Member States praised the Human Rights Council for its inclusivity and focus on human rights emergencies in Afghanistan, Myanmar and elsewhere, others accused it of being selective in its monitoring and condemnation, as the General Assembly took up the intergovernmental body’s annual report today.
The Security Council decided today to extend the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia for one year, unanimously adopting resolution 2603 (2021).
The General Assembly today adopted a resolution emphasizing the need for adequate, predictable and sustainable funding of the United Nations resident coordinator system, following a day‑long debate on the work of the International Court of Justice, which marks its seventy-fifth anniversary in 2021.
Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) voiced their alarm over an ongoing cash crunch that could threaten the Organization’s effectiveness as a multilateral institution determined to help the developing world rebound from the global pandemic.
