Meeting concurrently with the Security Council, the General Assembly today was unable to elect five judges from an initial pool of eight candidates to the International Court of Justice for terms of nine years beginning 6 February 2021.
As climate‑related hazards and natural phenomena continue to loom over many countries and the world continues to reel from the COVID‑19 pandemic, the debate on the protection of persons in the event of disasters took on an urgency that went beyond legal abstractions, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) today considered the Secretary‑General’s report on the matter (document A/75/214) and deliberated the merits of codifying related draft articles into an international agreement.
Endorsing the annual report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the General Assembly today adopted a draft resolution reaffirming its strong support for the Vienna-based organization, as its new Director-General outlined a major initiative to help Member States confront pandemics, even as it monitors ongoing non-proliferation concerns in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran.
In Somalia, flash floods have affected nearly 73,000 people, displacing more than 13,000 and causing four deaths, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports. The United Nations and partners have mobilized pre-positioned supplies to help those affected and provided shelter to at least 6,000 people.
On 1 November, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Michaela Friberg-Storey of Sweden as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, with the host Government’s approval.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The United Nations will host an online discussion entitled “Unveiling the Past” on 19 November, at 10 a.m. EST. The speakers will consider the significance of the preservation of burial grounds of those enslaved by the transatlantic slave trade, the ethical questions raised in disturbing these sacred grounds, and the challenges facing historians writing the history of the transatlantic slave trade and histories of the men, women and children lost to this brutal practice.
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres:
Despite long-held principles found in the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations, delegates spotlighted recent attacks against their missions and staff, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the Secretary‑General’s report, “Consideration of effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives” (document A/75/168).
The new Permanent Representative of Belgium to the United Nations, Philippe Kridelka, paid a courtesy call on UN Secretary-General António Guterres today.
