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THE COMMITTEES: General Assembly’s Sixth Committee, handling the ‘nuts and bolts’ of international law

The Sixth Committee’s work, as the primary forum at the United Nations considering legal questions and matters in the General Assembly, is at the very core of living. From getting married to getting a speeding ticket, everything we do in our daily life is based on some kind of local, national and regional law. 

In 2019, ‘reasons for hope’ in a world still on ‘red alert’: UN chief Guterres

Last year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued “a red alert” over a range of dangers confronting the world, which “still persist” as 2019 looms: “These are anxious times for many, and our world is undergoing a stress test,” the UN chief said on Saturday in his message for the New Year.

THE COMMITTEES: From the colonies to the space race - past, present, future converge in Fourth Committee

A timeline that stretches from the colonial past, through the present, and into the future for the final frontier in space, defines one of the United Nations General Assembly’s most versatile Main Committees – the Fourth Committee.

Children suffering ‘atrocities’ as number of countries in conflict hits new peak: UNICEF

The world “has failed” to sufficiently protect children caught up in conflict and millions more are at risk of harm, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed on Friday, adding that national leaders need to hold perpetrators of violence more accountable.

THE COMMITTEES: Disarmament for a peaceful world, defines work of UN General Assembly's First Committee

Every year in September, the United Nations General Assembly makes the headlines as world leaders gather at UN headquarters to set the agenda for the year ahead. But for the nitty-gritty discussions of how to turn decisions into action, Member States break out into six specialized “Main Committees”. For this first in our series of Committee explainers, we'll take you inside the work of the  First – tasked with addressing issues of disarmament and international security.

Human rights champions from across the world receive top UN prize

The “clear and profound” guidelines enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “have made it the world’s most widely translated document”, the UN Secretary-General told the General Assembly on Tuesday at an event to commemorate the Declaration’s 70th Anniversary, marked 10 December.

UN rights chief welcomes new text to protect rights of peasants and other rural workers

As the most basic rights of rural people continue to be trampled on in many parts of the world, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, welcomed Monday the adoption on Monday by the UN General Assembly of a new declaration to help safeguard them.

Migrants: ‘A powerful driver’ of economic growth, ‘dynamism and understanding’

Human migration is “a powerful driver of economic growth, dynamism and understanding,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, in his message  commemorating International Migrants Day, marked on 18 December.

UN affirms ‘historic’ global compact to support world’s refugees

The United Nations General Assembly affirmed a non-legally binding Global Compact on Refugees on Monday, marking the latest move by Member States to support the rights of  over 68.5 million people have been forced to flee worldwide, including more than 25.4 million people who have crossed borders to become refugees.

‘Fire-fighting approach’ to humanitarian aid ‘not sustainable’: Deputy UN chief

With around one in every 60 people across the world caught up in a crisis that requires urgent humanitarian assistance, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told a top panel on the issue on Wednesday that maintaining a “fire-fighting approach is not sustainable” in the long term.