In progress at UNHQ

Concluding Organizational Session on Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity, Conference President Commends Work towards Legally Binding Instrument

SEA/2071

Member States had set the tone for progress towards developing a legally binding treaty aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, the President of the Intergovernmental Conference on the matter said today as she concluded its three-day organizational meeting.

Indigenous Peoples Disproportionately Impacted by Climate Change, Systematically Targeted for Defending Freedoms, Speakers Tell Permanent Forum

HR/5389

Indigenous peoples were overrepresented among the poor, disproportionately impacted by climate change and systematically targeted for defending their freedoms, experts told the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues today as it covered a range of infringements upon collective rights to lands, territories and natural resources.

Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

More than 200 children were released by armed groups in South Sudan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced today.  They were among a series of arranged releases of almost 1,000 children over the coming months.  About 19,000 children still serve in the ranks of armed forces and groups in the country.

Delegates Call for Balanced Text to Guide Discussions towards Drafting International Treaty, as Conference on Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity Continues

SEA/2070

Consensus and balance were crucial in drafting a document that captured current progress and helped guide discussions towards a legally binding treaty aimed at the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, delegates stressed in interactive dialogues during the second day of the Intergovernmental Conference on the matter.

Economic and Social Council Adopts 10 Decisions, Including Granting Status to Groups Focusing on Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

ECOSOC/6901

The Economic and Social Council today adopted 10 draft decisions, including two by vote granting consultative status to two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) focusing on Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as it continued its 2018 coordination and management meetings.

Lauding Chief Executive Board Role in Supporting Leaders’ Efforts on 2030 Agenda, Deputy Secretary-General Presents Annual Report to Economic and Social Council

DSG/SM/1160-ECOSOC/6902

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, to the coordination and management meeting of the Economic and Social Council, presenting the 2017 annual overview report of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination, in New York today:

Decrying Violence against Indigenous Rights Defenders, Speakers Urge Protection of Native Lands from Development Aggression, as Permanent Forum Continues

HR/5388

Government decisions to build roads, power plants and dams in the name of prosperity threatened the lives of indigenous peoples around the world, speakers in the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues stressed today, amid calls to protect native lands and resources from such development aggression.