Delegates in the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) supported proposed amendments to the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules, also lending support for human resource management reforms aimed at creating a more equitable and geographically balanced staff representation at the Organization, particularly considering the plight of developing countries.

Small arms and light weapons are key drivers of hostilities and “de facto weapons of mass destruction”, killing 700 people per day, speakers told the Security Council today during a debate that highlighted the need for the 15-nation body to mount a comprehensive response that included strict control over diversion of those weapons to conflict zones.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for International Migrants Day, observed on 18 December:

In Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is concerned about the plight of civilians during the winter as, yet again today, there was another wave of attacks in the Kherson and Odesa regions. These attacks damaged critical civilian infrastructure, including homes, a hospital and a school.

Outgoing Chairs of Security Council subsidiary bodies detailed their work today on various progress made, underscoring their efforts in discussions on security situations, activities of armed groups and monitoring of arms embargoes, as they emphasized that more work remains to be done to move forward the goals of the 15-member body.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today approved its annual programme planning resolution, after rejecting an eponymous text by the Russian Federation that would have removed any references to a mechanism set up by the United Nations a dozen years ago to investigate international crimes committed in Syria since that country’s war began in March 2011.

South Sudan is not yet ready to hold credible elections in 2024, a senior United Nations official said today, as the Security Council examined the recent developments in that country, including implementation of the 2018 peace agreement and the dire humanitarian situation exacerbated by the influx of people fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

The Security Council today extended for a further year the mandate of the team monitoring sanctions against the Taliban and associated individuals and entities, which threaten Afghanistan’s peace, security and stability.

Central Africa is facing an extremely worrying humanitarian situation, with 42 million people in need of assistance and 2.6 million internally displaced, the Organization’s senior official in the subregion told the Security Council today, as delegates underscored the need to support inclusive democratic transitions in Chad and Gabon, address continuing threats from Boko Haram and mitigate the impact of climate change on regional security.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President José Javier de la Gasca Lopezdominguez (Ecuador):