Meetings Coverage

The strides made to ban chemical weapons was a “living example” of success when global efforts joined forces with clear goals, constructive dialogue, good will and a spirit of consensus, the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) heard today during its thematic debate on weapons of mass destruction.

Poor borrowers in India and Bolivia committed suicide in despair over heavy debt burdens accumulated because the regulatory framework for microfinance loans was not fully developed, Thomas McInerney, Director of the Research, Policy and Strategic Initiatives for the International Development Law Organization, told the Second Committee today during a panel discussion on “Legal Empowerment of the Poor and Eradication of Poverty”.

Now that there was a real prospect of ending the violence plaguing the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, efforts to ensure the lasting security of the population there must be pursued to a successful conclusion, Alan Doss, Special Representative of the Secretary-General, told the Security Council this morning.

Capping its three-day discussion on the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, members of the Third Committee (Social, Cultural and Humanitarian) discussed national programmes to nurture young citizens, saying the credibility of States “rested in their work for future generations”.

Reporting on the financial situation of the United Nations to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) this morning, the Organization’s top management official presented, once again, “a mixed picture”, while noting some improvements and stressing the importance of timely and full payment of Member States’ dues to the United Nations.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today concluded its current consideration of the rule of law at the national and international levels, it also heard the introduction of three draft resolutions on observer status for organizations in the General Assembly, while also approving a resolution that grants such status to the International Olympic Committee.

The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) continued to play a vital facilitation role, despite the political realities in that province, Lamberto Zannier, the Head of the Mission and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, told the Security Council today.

Concluding its thematic debate this afternoon on nuclear weapons, the Disarmament Committee heard the introduction of related draft texts on a convention banning nuclear weapons use, reducing nuclear danger, preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, the Bangkok Treaty, and on the follow-up to nuclear disarmament obligations flowing from the 1995 and 2000 Review Conferences of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Donor countries needed to fulfil existing financial commitments to prevent developing countries, already suffering from the effects of the economic crisis, from backsliding further, delegates said today as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met to consider the follow-up to, and implementation of, the outcome of the 2002 International Conference on Financing for Development and the 2008 Review Conference.

Reaffirming that the United Nations remained the indispensable foundation of a peaceful and just world, and that its voice must be heard in a clear and effective manner, the Fourth Committee emphasized the essential role of the Department of Public Information today, as it approved, without a vote, two draft resolutions and a draft decision at the conclusion of its general debate on information.