The belief that the pursuit of nuclear weapons can guarantee the security of any State is a dangerous delusion, the United Nations disarmament chief told the Disarmament Commission at the opening of its 2024 annual session, as the body expanded its deliberation into emerging security threats, including the use of artificial intelligence in the military domain.

On Tuesday, 19 March, the Secretary-General departed New York for Brussels, where he attended a series of meetings with European leaders.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Autism Awareness Day, observed on 2 April:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

In Malawi, the United Nations and its partners are supporting the Government to respond to severe drought, which has prompted national authorities to declare a state of emergency in 23 of the country’s 28 districts. Nearly 2 million farming families and over 40 per cent of Malawi’s agricultural land has been impacted.

The Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution that would have extended until 30 April 2025 the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the Sanctions Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea due to a veto cast by the Russian Federation — a permanent member of the Council — while numerous speakers underscored that Moscow’s veto fuels suspicion and weakens the global non-proliferation architecture.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Rasul Baghirov of Azerbaijan as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Belarus, with the host Government’s approval. His start date is 29 March.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today concluded the first part of its resumed seventy-eighth session by sending the General Assembly seven decisions and resolutions, including its approval of funding a new institution tasked with finding the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria.

The Commission on the Status of Women met this morning to conclude its sixty-eighth session. After the closure of the sixty-eighth session, the Commission then briefly opened the sixty-ninth session.

In Cameroon, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned today that vital food assistance to refugees in the country’s far north, Adamawa, and east and north regions is at risk of grinding to a halt due to funding shortfalls.