The Security Council reiterated its strong condemnation of all illegal recruitment and use of children by parties to armed conflict, as well as their re-recruitment, killing, rape and abduction, as the Secretary-General today launched a set of guidelines and the 15-member organ marked the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers.

The United Nations Development Programme will tomorrow launch “Mission 1.5”, a climate change engagement campaign that will connect global citizens with Governments and policymakers.  Built around an online video game on climate policy, it provides a platform for voting on solutions they wish to see happen.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the event “The Drive for Five:  A Call to Action for the Education of Adolescent Girls”, in New York today:

Tackling homelessness throughout the world means tackling social issues as vast and varied as income inequality, housing shortages, racism and women’s empowerment, the Commission for Social Development heard today, as speakers who have personally experienced homelessness shared their thoughts with Member States and representatives of non-governmental organizations on the third day of its fifty-eighth session.

The Security Council today extended the authorization of measures against the illicit export of crude oil and other petroleum products from Libya until 30 April 2021, continuing to allow Member States to inspect designated vessels on the high seas.

The Security Council today expressed deep concern about deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin — fuelled by terrorism, transnational organized crime committed at sea, conflict between pastoralists and farmers, trafficking in persons, arms and drugs, and illegal natural resource exploitation — and called for continued national, regional and international engagement.

The Security Council today extended until 12 March 2021 the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the sanctions regime on Sudan, but some Council members urged the 15-member organ to consider lifting the restrictive measures.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it’s seeking $107 million to support life-saving humanitarian operations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.  There are acute food, nutrition, health, water and sanitation needs, but funding for humanitarian operations there remain historically low.

Despite development strides which have lifted more than 1 billion people out of poverty in recent decades, soaring inequality and exclusion continue to pose challenges around the globe, delegates heard today, as the Commission on Social Development continued its fifty-eighth session.

The Palestinian Authority, as well as the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have all rejected the peace plan proposed by the United States on 28 January as failing to meet the minimum rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today.