Meetings Coverage

The General Assembly today in a joint debate considered the “Report of the Peacebuilding Commission”, “Peacebuilding and sustaining peace” and the “Report of the Secretary-General on the Peacebuilding Fund”.

The commission tasked with preparing for the entry into force of a new treaty on marine biodiversity concluded its second session today, with delegates taking stock of the extensive negotiations held over the last two weeks and committing to doing “homework” before its third session to ensure that the treaty can be operationalized with appropriate financial and institutional mechanisms.

Warning that the Ukrainian people caught in the crossfire are “entering the fourth winter of the full-scale war”, a top UN official told the Security Council today that the Russian Federation’s large-scale escalation of attacks against civilians persist, killing children, setting grim casualty records and jeopardizing fragile diplomatic momentum.

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), for a final time until 31 December 2026, and decided that it should start an orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal from that date.

Famine is a reality in Gaza and this “crime against humanity” must be stopped, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People heard today, as speakers underscored the importance to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian cause ahead of the General Assembly’s high-level session in September.

Amid relentless armed violence, collapsing schools and hospitals, and a worsening humanitarian crisis leaving millions at risk, the UN Chief warned the Security Council today that Haiti faces a “perfect storm of suffering”, with children enduring unprecedented levels of forced recruitment, sexual violence and hunger.

On the penultimate day of its second session, the commission preparing for the entry into force of a new marine biodiversity treaty focused once again on the rules of procedure that will apply to meetings of its Parties, also considering cooperation arrangements with relevant instruments, frameworks and bodies.

The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, with the worst-case scenario of famine now officially declared and Israel using starvation as a method of war “in its starkest terms”, speakers warned the Security Council today, among them the head of Save the Children International, who implored, Gaza’s “children have reached their breaking point. Where is yours?”

The commission tasked with preparing for the entry into force of a high-seas biodiversity treaty continued its second session today, returning to a discussion on the financial rules that will govern its eventual secretariat and subsidiary bodies as many delegates emphasized the needs and special circumstances of developing countries in this context.

As the commission tasked with preparing for the entry into force of a high-seas biodiversity treaty continued its second session today, delegates from small island developing States issued a strong call that their countries be equitably represented, including through a dedicated seat in the treaty’s Scientific and Technical Body.