Legal

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the opening of the fourteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Kyoto today:

The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on Strengthening the Role of the Organization adopted its 2021 draft report today, concluding its annual session and sending a package of recommendations to the General Assembly.

Amid growing concerns over unilateral coercive measures and their unintended humanitarian consequences, several delegations stressed today that sanctions remain a relevant tool for the maintenance of international peace and security, as the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization opened its 2021 session.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to the fiftieth anniversary of the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, observed today:

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Security Council reaffirmed today its ongoing commitment to fostering interaction with the International Court of Justice, as it took note of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Charter of the United Nations and the 100^th anniversary of the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice.

The Security Council could help strengthen the rule of law in matters of peace and security by better utilizing advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice and by urging all Member States to accept the Court’s mandatory jurisdiction, the chief justice of the judicial body mandated by the Charter of the United Nations told the 15-nation organ today in a 18 December videoconference open debate.

Ethiopia is facing dire shortages of food, water, fuel, cash and electricity, as well as telecoms services in the Tigray region, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  More than 63,000 people are recorded as internally displaced in Tigray, including some who fled towards Afar and Amhara.

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary‑General António Guterres: