When using mass surveillance tactics to combat terrorism, it was imperative that States complied with international human rights law, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard today during interactive debates with experts as it continued its discussion on the protection and promotion of human rights and approving draft resolutions on literacy and crime prevention.

The current global financial and economic crisis undermined development in the least developed countries, many of which continued to “lag in meeting most of the internationally agreed development goals”, Bolivia’s representative told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as delegates met to discuss groups of countries in special situations.

Transferred and traded around the globe, “excessive accumulation and unregulated proliferation” of illicit small arms and light weapons led to devastating consequences, say speakers in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) as thematic debate on conventional weapons continued.

In a day-long open debate today that heard from more than 55 speakers, the Security Council considered improvements to the way it followed up on its referrals to the International Criminal Court, as well as the manner in which due process was applied in targeting sanctions.

While piracy off the coast of Somalia was at its lowest level in years, progress was “fragile and reversible”, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs told the Security Council today, stressing that the underlying political instability and lack of alternative livelihoods in the East African country must be addressed if gains were to be sustained.

The Secretary-General’s Special Representative in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, told the Security Council this morning that every day without a political agreement contributed the situation on the ground to deteriorate further, complicating the work of the United Nations Mission there.

The Security Council today adopted its annual report to the General Assembly for the period 1 August 2013 to 31 July 2014.

The principle of linguistic parity in the United Nations required adherence to equity and balance and could not be superseded by resource considerations, a speaker stated at the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), as it continued its annual debate on questions related to information.

As the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission, speakers agreed that such personnel must not be able to commit crimes with impunity, but held accountable if the Organization were to maintain its credibility.

Rapid response to and prevention of human rights violations had the power to stop crises, from the Ebola outbreak to bloodshed in conflict hot spots around the world, the United Nations top human rights official told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as it continued discussions on the protection and promotion of human rights, hearing from experts and almost 60 delegates participating in interactive debates on a range of issues, from the death penalty to water and sanitation.