With regional forces being deployed in South Sudan to strengthen civilian protection, that country’s leaders still bore direct responsibility to end the bloodshed through efforts to reinvigorate the political process, the United Nations peacekeeping chief stressed to the Security Council today.
As the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) completed its mandate on 15 October, the Security Council welcomed the notable progress made by Haiti towards stability and democracy.
Speakers stressed the need to increase official development assistance (ODA), build infrastructure, widen export bases and stimulate trade in least developed and landlocked developing countries, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up groups of countries today.
Reflecting a deep chasm in disarmament and arms control discussions, delegates from nuclear-weapon States today defended deterrence policies while their counterparts from nations free of atomic bombs questioned slow progress in dismantling arsenals, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard as it concluded its debate on nuclear weapons and took up its agenda item on other weapons of mass destruction.
Through regional courses, online resources and legal publications, as well as a new project producing accessible digital files, the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law was stepping up to the demanding task of meeting the increased need for international law training and research materials, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today as it began its consideration of the Secretary-General’s report on the matter.
International human rights standards “can and must” be translated into programmes on the ground, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, pointing to gender-related killings in Central America, massive migration from Myanmar to Bangladesh and ongoing tragedy in Syria.
The world was not on track to eradicate hunger and malnutrition by the international community’s goal of 2030, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) heard today from many speakers as it took up agriculture development, food security and nutrition.
The General Assembly today elected, by secret ballot, 15 States to serve on the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
Debating a range of legally binding measures and norms for advancing nuclear disarmament today, speakers in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) discussed the future of a fissile material cut‑off treaty and other instruments as building blocks towards a nuclear‑weapon‑free world.
Member States must avoid allowing political differences to distract them from their responsibilities, the President of the General Assembly told the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today, as it continued its general debate on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
