As the Sixth Committee (Legal) began consideration of the annual reports on criminal accountability for United Nations officials and experts on mission today, some speakers called on Member States whose nationals were alleged to have committed a crime to provide previously requested information on those cases, while other stressed that primary jurisdictional responsibility laid with the alleged perpetrators’ State of nationality.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message on the occasion of the sixteenth biennial Global Round Table on Sustainable Finance, held today:

Amid concern about unceasing hurdles to the exercise of political freedoms and human rights in the Great Lakes region, the United Nations is launching a new strategy focused on preventive diplomacy, security cooperation and development, the Secretary‑General’s senior political official for the strife‑torn area told the Security Council today, noting that the plan would guide the Organization’s action for the next 10 years.

The ravaging effects of climate change, exacerbated by lingering repercussions of the COVID‑19 pandemic, threaten achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals according to reports of the Secretary‑General presented by a number of speakers to the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the sixteenth plenary meeting of the seventy-fifth session of the General Assembly: Tribute to the Memory of His Highness Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, in New York today:

The First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its general debate today, with delegates calling for action to end gun trafficking, address the grave humanitarian impact of such conventional weapons as cluster munitions and anti‑personnel mines, and to avoid a regional arms race in the Middle East.

Growing numbers of indigenous peoples are succumbing to extreme poverty, amid a spike in land evictions and loss of traditional livelihoods brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations expert charged with assessing their wellbeing told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates raised questions and concerns about their plight.

Holding a virtual meeting today, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) heard introductory statements and questions relating to international cooperation on the peaceful uses of outer space, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and peacekeeping operations.  It also heard an introductory statement on questions relating to information.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message on the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, observed on 13 October:

Following are UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the Spotlight Initiative High-Level Launch Event for the Pacific Regional Programme “Together to End Domestic Violence and Intimate Partner Violence in the Pacific”, today: