Petitioners described human rights violations faced by women in Sahrawi refugee camps, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its hearing of petitioners on the question of Western Sahara today in the context of its consideration of items related to decolonization.
More than 8,400 children were killed or maimed in 2020, with Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Somalia featured as the deadliest conflict zones for children, United Nations experts told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates pointed to war, disregard for international humanitarian law and the COVID-19 pandemic as persistent obstructions to the rights of minors.
In Afghanistan, the World Health Organization reports that since 30 August, nine flights have arrived with health‑care supplies for 2.5 million people. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is also scaling up emergency aid due to the conflict, supporting nearly 4,500 internally displaced people.
Following is the text of UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ video message for the European Union Sustainable Investment Summit, held virtually today:
Following is UN Secretary‑General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of the Girl Child, observed on 11 October:
Ethiopia is violating international law by expelling United Nations staff, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council today, as the country’s representative vehemently rebutted the claim, stressing that the ousted individuals compromised their impartiality and integrity to the detriment of the host State.
Stressing that developed countries must ramp up global cooperation to close the world’s glaring economic gap, speakers focused on the need to tackle vaccine inequity, the ruinous effects of COVID‑19, climate change and implementation of development goals, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) continued its general debate today.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of measures to eliminate international terrorism today, with many delegates disagreeing on how to finalize a comprehensive convention on the matter and develop a global response to a threat that has yet to be defined, particularly when identifying State-sponsored actions.
The proliferation and stockpiling of illicit weapons continue to threaten international peace and security, exacerbating the plight of civilians in strife-torn countries worldwide, the senior United Nations disarmament official told the Security Council today.
Calling for swift remedies to mend a fractured non-proliferation landscape, nuclear-weapon-free States demanded an immediate end to deterrence policies and the start of dismantling atomic arsenals, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) moved into the third day of its general debate.
