Detailing the death and destruction in the nearly two-year war in Ukraine, a senior UN official urged all parties to spare all civilians and civilian objects and facilitate the swift and unhindered provision of humanitarian relief during his briefing to the Security Council today, emphasizing that what Ukrainians need, above all, is an end to the devastating war.

The head of the UN refugee agency appealed to the Security Council today to call for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing that there is urgent need for its 15 members to overcome their differences, unite and resolve a raft of conflicts which have displaced staggering 114 million people around the world.

Civilians in Gaza must not be the target of collective punishment, speakers told the Security Council today, as calls for a ceasefire gained greater urgency amid the intensification of Israel’s lethal military offensive into the besieged enclave, following the 7 October attacks by the armed group Hamas against that country.

Despite intimidation, cyberattacks and a heavy caseload, the International Criminal Court will not be deterred from its work, including helping victims get restitution, its President stressed, as the General Assembly today took up the Court’s annual report.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today began its general debate on United Nations peacekeeping operations, which mark their seventy-fifth anniversary this year, with senior UN officials and delegates alike calling for greater safety and security for blue helmets and a greater role for women in the 12 missions deployed worldwide.

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for another year, calling on the parties to resume negotiations to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution for the region.

The General Assembly would reaffirm its condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the use of chemical weapons by anyone under any circumstances, according to a draft resolution approved today by the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security), as it continued to take action on 61 draft resolutions and decisions before it.

There is momentum for global dialogue on reparatory justice for people of African descent, experts told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as numerous delegates also voiced support for the right of Palestinians to self-determination.

Welcoming progress made towards peace across Colombia amid the Government’s outreach efforts to domestic armed groups, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Verification Mission in that country for one year to monitor and verify implementation of a ceasefire between the Government and the National Liberation Army.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Marcos Athias Neto of Brazil as Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Services of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).