The illicit circulation of small arms and light weapons around the world is having humanitarian and socioeconomic consequences that are undermining sustainable development and efforts to prevent and resolve conflicts, delegates said today as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its thematic debate on conventional weapons.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has launched a four-year Global Strategy for Sustainable Energy to promotes the transition to clean, renewable energy at refugee camps and hosting sites, where more than 90 per cent of refugees have limited access to electricity.

Targeted killings, such as that of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, are emblematic of a global pattern of killings of reporters and activists, and the most important action to take in these cases of “terminal silencing” is to speak up, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Agnes Callamard told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates engaged with mandate holders on the promotion and protection of human rights.

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the Green Climate Fund Pledging Conference, in Paris today:

The United Nations will have a dedicated pavilion at the 2020 World Expo, to be held in Dubai under the theme “We the Peoples:  Shaping Our Future Together”.

Given the increased cooperation between Sudan and South Sudan on a host of issues, it is time for the parties to finally make progress on the status of the disputed area of Abyei, the Under‑Secretary‑General for Peace Operations told the Security Council today.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, delivered by Liu Zhenmin, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to the Sustainable Development Forum, in Beijing today:

Armed violence and rampant proliferation of small arms are massive deal‑breakers for sustainable development, which is why there is urgent need to better mainstream control of small arms in development efforts and policies.

The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) approved a draft resolution today, by which the General Assembly would urge States to provide humanitarian assistance for victims of anti-personnel mines, as it concluded its consideration of assistance in mine action.

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals is crucial to continue the vital legal work of bringing to justice the perpetrators of atrocities committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, the General Assembly heard today, as speakers noted progress in the Mechanism’s second year of functioning.