Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on World Tsunami Awareness Day, observed on 5 November:

As ongoing conflicts, economic volatility and gaping inequality shadow development prospects, regional commissions today highlighted in a joint meeting with the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) the urgent need to bridge digital gaps in sparking opportunity and driving innovation, with the Committee also discussing challenges hampering countries in special situations in a separate session.

Early understanding of today’s rapidly emerging scientific and technological advances may be the best way to ensure these cutting-edge developments enhance international peace and security, rather than create new human-made horrors and security threats, experts told the Security Council today.  The Council heard from four experts who stressed the Council’s crucial role in staying on top of quantum technology, artificial general intelligence and other scientific developments to maintain global security.

Reaffirming the important work of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today approved without a vote a resolution concerning that body, as speakers underscored the imperative of concerted and apolitical scientific work on this matter while also considering how to improve their working methods.

More than two and a half years into the war on Ukraine, the Russian Federation’s unrelenting attacks continue to cause death and destruction, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today, describing an uptick in civilian deaths and daily damage to critical civilian infrastructure.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Pascale Baeriswyl (Switzerland):

Presenting reports on such topics as truth and redress, child migrants, enforced disappearances and albinism, United Nations-appointed experts called for accountability for human rights violations as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues today.

All efforts must be made to reduce nuclear risks, including the promotion of dialogue by all and a reduction of the role of nuclear weapons in national policy, the representative of China tells the First Committee, as it continued its thematic debate on nuclear weapons.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that an urgent request to access the Falouja area of Jabalya to help those trapped under the rubble was denied by Israeli authorities for the fourth consecutive day, and teams, in Gaza City, reported that shelter support is urgently needed.

Marking the seventy-fifth session of the International Law Commission, the Chair of the Sixth Committee (Legal) highlighted the Commission’s contribution to the development and codification of international law, as delegations took up its annual report today and began their debate on the first of three clusters of topics, including “Immunity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction”, “Sea-level rise in relation to international law” and “Other decisions and conclusions of the Commission”.