Multilateralism is “currently in decline and is unable to respond effectively to security crises or the pressing challenges facing humanity”, the representative of Senegal told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today as its wide-ranging debate continues.
In progress at UNHQ
Meetings Coverage
Continuing their consideration of crimes against humanity, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates today debated whether to commence negotiations towards a legally binding international instrument based on the International Law Commission’s draft articles on the prevention and punishment of such crimes, with many ready to do so even as some expressed reservations and noted a continuing divergence of views.
Speakers urged accountability today for the staggering number of child casualties in armed conflicts across the Middle East, Africa, Ukraine, Myanmar and beyond, and other violations such as child marriage and labour, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural) began its discussion on children’s rights.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today heard the last of more than 200 petitioners who had registered to speak during this session on the situations in the 17 Non-Self-Governing Territories.
Faced with mounting debt, rising financial constraints, dwindling foreign investment and illicit financial flows, speakers in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) urged international actors to address and reverse pernicious obstacles to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The First Committee is in a position to shoulder its mission and deliver on its words, the representative of Côte d’Ivoire asserted today, as the general debate continued with a wide-ranging focus on mitigating the crises underpinning a deteriorating security environment.
Briefing the Security Council on the heels of the firing of Israeli forces on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon earlier in the day, senior UN officials warned of a dangerous uptick in violence in the Middle East, as delegates echoed their calls for a ceasefire, de-escalation and diplomacy.
It is one of the most perilous times in world history — no less decisive than in 1945 when the UN was founded, the representative of Grenada told the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today.
One year after Hamas’ attack on Israel and the resulting military response — now extending to Lebanon — senior UN officials warned the Security Council today that efforts to dismantle the United Nations’ presence in Gaza and its surrounds would be disastrous for the people in need there, as speakers urged the Council to act.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the Secretary-General’s appeal for $711.3 million for three dozen special political missions for 2025 as several delegations again pushed for the creation of a special financing mechanism to sustain them.