The Security Council today requested the Secretary‑General to set up a dedicated team to assist the electoral process in South Sudan towards the country’s democratic future, as members also discussed the impact of the 25 October military coup d’état in Sudan on the bilateral border administration.
Continuing their consideration of the International Law Commission’s report today, delegates in the Sixth Committee (Legal) proposed changes to the Commission’s working methods and programme of work, while also considering the draft guidelines on the protection of atmosphere and provisional application of treaties.
Special Rapporteurs presented reports on internal displacement, human trafficking and modern slavery today, warning that the number of people forcibly displaced within their own countries due to conflict is the highest on record, at 48 million, as Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) delegates engaged in interactive dialogues on human rights matters.
Amid a dire and worsening humanitarian and security situation, constructive diplomacy is urgently needed to help save lives and bring the 10‑year‑long conflict in Syria to an end, the Secretary‑General’s Special Envoy for that country told the Security Council today, as speakers expressed disappointment that the much‑anticipated negotiations geared towards drafting a fresh constitution appeared to have run aground.
Ensuring the safety and proper resourcing of United Nations ‘Blue Helmets’ is key to the successful implementation of peacekeeping mandates, delegates said today, while also underscoring that civilian protection must remain a core focus during mission drawdowns and transitions, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate.
Note: Following is a partial summary of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) meetings on 27 October. A complete summary of these meetings of the Committee will be available on 28 October.
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues on human rights today with experts calling for stronger international and national laws to uproot the entrenched vestiges of colonialism and gender-based discrimination, tackle extrajudicial and arbitrary executions, and end bias in the housing market.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of the first cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s report today, delegates, tackling “Provisional application of treaties,” highlighted the complex process of incorporating international treaty obligations into national law in the uncertain context of applying such instruments provisionally. (For background, see Press Release GA/L/3643.)
The General Assembly today adopted a resolution that offers the global community a blueprint to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by tapping into the data, technology, innovative products and other tools gained through space exploration.
Opening International Law Week today, the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its consideration of the International Law Commission’s report, with delegates analysing the draft articles and guidelines on various topics, while calling for more inclusivity in the Commission’s composition and working methods.
Special Rapporteurs presenting reports on the human rights situations in Belarus, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Eritrea, and the occupied Palestinian territories invited Governments to show political determination, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues on human rights today.
Delegates addressing the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today urged the administering Powers of the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories to complete the longstanding decolonization process, with speakers also citing a range of additional territorial disputes, as members continued their general debate.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded its debate on the scope and application of universal jurisdiction today, delegates wrestled with the challenging balance between State sovereignty — along with the primacy of national jurisdiction in prosecuting serious international crimes — and ensuring perpetrators of heinous crimes do not enjoy impunity.
Emphasizing the need to bridge the technological divide between developed and developing countries in the peaceful uses of outer space, delegates called for more capacity‑building activities and technology sharing in that arena, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate today.
Delegates in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today demanded freedom from unsustainable debt financing terms, as they tackled a range of areas in which human rights must be at the heart of efforts to create a more just world, from addressing discrimination against people with albinism to alleviating food shortages in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up the Secretary‑General’s request for $730.7 million to fund 38 special political missions in 2022, with several delegations renewing calls for a separate budget to be established to address their requirements.
Warning that an “avalanche of crises”, including an uptick in military coups and armament races, is rapidly setting back the clock on women’s rights, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, made a fervent call today to the Security Council to put women front and centre in peacebuilding efforts worldwide.
High-ranking United Nations officials outlined progress today on a range of issues, including the illicit trade in small arms, integrating gender perspectives into the mainstream, and the need to revive the stalled disarmament machinery, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) held its final virtual informal interactive dialogue.
Laws that discriminate against minorities, people with disabilities and individuals affected by leprosy violate a range of human rights, at times relying on inaccurate and biased historical narratives, and promoting narrow visions of whom to include in future protections, Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) experts stressed today, as delegates drew attention to situations across the globe requiring action.
While commending the flexibility with which the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law responded to the COVID‑19 pandemic, speakers in the Sixth Committee (Legal) urged the Programme to incorporate more diversity — including different regions and legal systems — into its educational offerings, and called for the return of the in‑person trainings that foster deep bonds among the international legal community.
