Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the Siena College Laudato Si’ Center for Ecology Global Climate Crisis Symposium, held in Albany, New York, today:
The Sixth Committee on Legal Affairs began its debate on crimes against humanity Wednesday, 9 October, in the afternoon, half a day ahead of the announced programme of work.
With only 17 per cent of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targets on track, the United Nations system and Member States must enhance and coordinate efforts to rescue them, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as it took up the Secretary-General’s reports on the state of development.
One year after Hamas’ attack on Israel and the resulting military response — now extending to Lebanon — senior UN officials warned the Security Council today that efforts to dismantle the United Nations’ presence in Gaza and its surrounds would be disastrous for the people in need there, as speakers urged the Council to act.
Peace, human rights and development in the Maghreb and Africa are at stake, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard today as petitioners continued to testify about the historical and geopolitical issues critical to the question of Western Sahara.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today considered the Secretary-General’s appeal for $711.3 million for three dozen special political missions for 2025 as several delegations again pushed for the creation of a special financing mechanism to sustain them.
The General Assembly today elected 18 members to the Human Rights Council for the 2025-2027 term, adopted a resolution on matters regarding the assessment scale for distributing the costs of the United Nations' expenses and concluded its debate on last month’s high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance.
The international community must not look away from the trampling of women’s rights in Gaza, Lebanon and Afghanistan, delegates told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today during its continued discussion on the advancement of women, as they also highlighted initiatives to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in achieving gender equality.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Coumba D. Sow of Senegal as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Togo, with the host Government’s approval, starting on 5 October.
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Pascale Baeriswyl (Switzerland):
