With the COVID‑19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts and persistent economic uncertainty still darkening sustainable development prospects, the five United Nations regional commissions remain critical to any progress, senior officials from those bodies told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today during their annual meeting.

Speakers in the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) today expressed grave concern about the Russian Federation’s announced intention to withdraw from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), as they continued their thematic debate on nuclear weapons.

Delegates pointed to the link between poverty and conflict and stressed the importance of finding a path to peace through sustainable development at a moment when Africa is plagued by food insecurity and violence, as the General Assembly today debated the causes of conflict on the world’s second-largest continent.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad, Violette Kakyomya, today warned that the country, now host to nearly 490,000 refugees from neighbouring Sudan and suffering from record levels of rain last year, is facing multiple humanitarian crises. She called for urgent support for 7 million of the country’s 18 million people.

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

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

Rival parties in Libya must mobilize through dialogue to finalize electoral laws and enable presidential and parliamentary elections to take place, a senior United Nations official told the 15-member organ today, in his first briefing since devastating floods caused widespread death and destruction in the north-east.

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Sergio Franca Danese (Brazil):

The Security Council today adopted a presidential statement on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, commending the stabilizing actions of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and reiterating its call on all parties to continue their efforts to ensure full cooperation with it.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has relocated its main operations and staff to southern Gaza to continue aid operations. Since last night, the UN Secretary-General has been in constant contact with Israeli authorities urging them to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.