The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) tackled broad questions of torture, counter‑terrorism and judicial independence today, as delegates engaged with United Nations experts in addressing eroded prison conditions, underfunding of the treaty body system, and at times, outright denial of international humanitarian law, frequently triggered by COVID‑19.
Aside from weakening vital medical systems, damaging the global economy and slowing development gains, the COVID‑19 pandemic has also caused “profound, multi-faceted blows” to fundamental freedoms worldwide, curbing vital civil liberties, the United Nations human rights chief warned the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates continued their broad focus on protecting vulnerable communities.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) turned its attention to the broad promotion and protection of human rights today, with United Nations experts addressing nuanced questions around child marriage, persons with disabilities trapped in conflict zones and conditions in countries that have raised concerns for years.
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.
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to wipe out a generation of progress in gender equality, United Nations experts told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as they led a series of interactive dialogues that explored how best to uphold the rights of women and children amid increases in violence and suffering brought on by new virus-induced realities.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its debate on social development today, with delegates drawing attention to the world’s lack of preparedness for COVID-19, a challenge that has exacerbated inequalities between and within countries, raising human rights concerns.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its debate on social development today, with delegates highlighting the ways in which COVID-19 has exposed and exacerbated entrenched inequalities and calling for universal distribution of a vaccine, once available, at affordable prices.
Beyond a global health crisis, COVID-19 has created an economic and humanitarian emergency, pushing those least able to adapt into even more vulnerable positions, the President of the General Assembly told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as he laid out what is at stake after years of gains made in social development.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) opened its seventy-fifth session today, with the epic impact of COVID-19 dominating its general debate on social development, as Governments called for solidarity in rebuilding national health, judicial and social protection systems that serve everyone equally, without exception.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) concluded its work today, approving 17 draft resolutions on matters ranging from devising effective youth policies and ending racism, to preventing violence against women migrant workers and upholding the right to self‑determination.
