The Disarmament Commission’s 2023 substantive session began today by bringing into sharp focus the nuclear risks faced by the international community, as speakers stressed the alarming increase of dangerous nuclear rhetoric amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine and the crucial need to prioritize disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control measures.

The Security Council’s programme for April features three open debates, including a signature event on risks stemming from violations of the agreements regulating the export of weapons and military equipment, its President for April told a Headquarters press conference today.

The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today wrapped up the first part of its resumed seventy-seventh session by sending the General Assembly one decision and four resolutions, including the first human resources management package in more than six years.

​​​​​​​Fair and inclusive tax systems are essential in enhancing developing countries’ efforts to strengthen their financial and fiscal policies and accelerating the green transition, the Economic and Social Council heard today, as members held the 2023 Special Meeting on International Cooperation in Tax Matters.

The first meeting of the United Nations Department of Global Communications Civil Society Association Committee in 2023 was held on 24 March to review recent applications for association with the Department.

The Russian Federation’s recent announcement of plans to station non-strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus represents the first “nuclear sharing” agreement made since the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons entered into force in 1970, the senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today, emphasizing that — against the backdrop of the Ukraine conflict — the risk such arms will be used is higher today than at any time since the end of the cold war.

In Türkiye and Syria, the United Nations, along with partner organizations, have provided water, sanitation and hygiene support to more than 440,000 men, women and children impacted by the earthquake. Rehabilitation work and emergency repairs have also restored water and sanitation access for some 250,000 people.

Highlighting the links between durable peace, inclusive development, security and stability in the African continent, speakers in the Security Council today emphasized the need for greater international cooperation and support for “African solutions to African problems”, during a debate on the impact of development policies in implementing the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative, one of the signature events of Mozambique’s presidency.

In Vanuatu, the World Food Programme’s Pacific Humanitarian Air Service today transported 15 metric tons of critical medical and food supplies for over 250,000 people, about 80 per cent of the population, that have been impacted by the two category 4 cyclones and earthquakes that hit the country in early March.

​​​​​​​Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda — Twenty-ninth Anniversary, observed on 7 April: