Delegates in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today spotlighted the numerous challenges facing developing countries — such as armed conflict, climate change, poverty and food insecurity — and shared national and global initiatives aimed at safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable, as their discussion on social development continued.
“It is unacceptable to prolong the decolonization processes of the 17 existing Non-Self-Governing Territories,” Costa Rica’s delegate said today as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) began its general debate on decolonization and related agenda items.
Two years after the September 2022 explosions that severely damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the Security Council met today at the request of the Russian Federation, who, in the absence of a briefer, assessed national investigations into the blasts, while criticizing the lack of conclusive findings and the 15-member organ’s collective action on the matter.
Amid “the perfect storm” of escalating geopolitical tensions, climate change and lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) opened its seventy-ninth session today, with delegates calling for stronger international cooperation to advance social development, bridge the digital divide and alleviate poverty.
The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today approved its work programme for the seventy-ninth session and set out guidelines for its completion within the allotted time frame.
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) opened its seventy-ninth session today, approving a programme of work with topics ranging from international trade, debt and development financing to global partnerships, poverty eradication and food security.
Continuing its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism, Sixth Committee (Legal) speakers expressed concerns over the threats posed by the scourge in the Sahel region and the evolution of new and emerging terrorist threats, while others stressed that terrorism should not be a pretext to interfere in domestic affairs of States.
Despite persisting security challenges, Somalia continues to forge progress on national priorities, including in assuming full responsibility for its own security, senior officials told the Security Council today, as members underscored the need for counter-terrorism gains to be preserved through adequate funding and preparation ahead of the transition by the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to a UN country team at the end of the month.
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved its programme of work for the General Assembly’s seventy-ninth session today, with topics ranging from the decolonization of the 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories to the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The partnership between the United Nations and African Union has never been more critical, several senior officials told the Security Council today, as they laid out the myriad challenges facing the continent from the world’s largest forced displacement crisis and numerous instances of political instability to territorial disputes and climate-change-driven insecurity.
