The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Vitaly Churkin (Russian Federation):

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Vitaly Churkin (Russian Federation):

A debate over the best interests of Non-Self-Governing Territories stimulated confrontational exchanges and elicited strong opinions from a broad range of representatives and petitioners today, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) entered its second day of debate on decolonization issues.

Regional cooperation was critical to combating terrorism as that threat expanded and took on new forms, ranging from cyberterrorism to State-sponsored terrorism, speakers stressed, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its deliberations on measures to eliminate international terrorism today.

Preventing climate change, enhancing international cooperation, and acknowledging the needs of specific groups and categories of States were necessary to implement the 2030 Agenda and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, Member States said today as the General Assembly’s Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its general debate.

Casting an overview of challenges facing social development - ranging from inequalities in employment through specific issues facing rural populations - the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) began its work today, with delegates calling for closer international cooperation and solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable groups.

The Secretary-General spoke to the European Parliament in Strasbourg this morning as it approved fast-track legislation for the Paris Agreement on climate change.   He is grateful for the European Union’s support and leadership for the accord.

Speakers in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) called for more robust efforts to revive stalled disarmament processes, with some discussing whether the General Assembly should launch negotiations that would lead to a worldwide nuclear-weapon ban.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks to an event on youth leadership in peace and security, in New York today:

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon departed New York in the early hours of Monday, 26 September, for Cartagena, Colombia, where he arrived on Monday morning, after transiting through Bogota, for the signing of the Colombia Peace Agreements.