Marking the 150th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, speakers in today’s Sixth Committee (Legal) debate urged Member States to ratify the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts, with the aim of strengthening international humanitarian law.
With the Millennium Development Goals failing aboriginal peoples of the world, their knowledge and traditional practices must help to guide the post-2015 development agenda towards mapping a more inclusive, sustainable future, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today, as it began its general discussion on their rights, a month after the historic first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples.
To guarantee the survival of its core components and key activities, the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law must be funded through the Organization’s regular budget, delegates in the Sixth Committee (Legal) asserted today as deliberations on the matter began.
Violence against society’s most vulnerable, in all its forms, needed to be uprooted and eradicated in order to pave a sure path towards sustainable development, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today as it continued its debate on the rights of children, and concluded its consideration of the advancement of women.
The inability of the disarmament machinery to function had the “insidious effect” of stopping people from listening to each other, heard members of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) during its thematic debate on the United Nations disarmament machinery.
It was the world’s responsibility to ensure that the “fruits of the marvellous progress of science” benefitted the poor around the world, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard this morning.
Sounding a note of optimism about the progress of African development, the international community should guard against complacency that might lead to backsliding on gains already made, the General Assembly was told today as it debated the New Partnership for Africa’s Development as well as the ongoing battle against malaria.
Delegates at the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today voiced their concerns about the cash flow problems of the Organization’s regular budget and the need for effective management of existing resources as they discussed the world body’s financial situation.
The disarmament and space communities should coordinate with each other to build transparency and confidence as the world sought ways of promoting sustainable development through space-based tools, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today, as it continued its discussions on international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space.
Taking a strong stand on a range of issues from prisoners’ rights to protecting cultural property, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) sent six draft resolutions on crime prevention, criminal justice and international drug control to the General Assembly today, unanimously approving the texts, one on the elimination of violence against children in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice
