Marking the eightieth anniversary of the end of the Second World War, speakers in the General Assembly today paid solemn tribute to the millions who gave their lives in defense of “freedoms too often taken for granted” and underscored the urgent need to recommit to multilateralism, as conflicts continue to rage from the Middle East to Ukraine.
The persistent pursuit of nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programmes by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — in violation of Security Council resolutions — continues to undermine the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, a senior United Nations official told the 15-nation organ today.
Tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina have recently surged, marking what a senior official today described to the Security Council as “an extraordinary crisis” — the most serious since the Dayton Agreement ended the war in the country almost 30 years ago.
As peacekeeping missions continue to evolve in complexity and size and mandates, the Fifth Committee began its consideration of the budget for the support account for those operations during the upcoming fiscal cycle and listened to the findings of a comprehensive review of that account.
As the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) opened the second part of its resumed session today, delegates began consideration of the proposed $5.5 billion budget for United Nations peacekeeping operations for the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, emphasizing the need for stringent oversight of the Organization’s resources amid a deepening cash crisis.
The United Nations Forum on Forests commenced its twentieth session today, as speakers spotlighted the connection between healthy forests and a sustainable future, the increasing threats to this important global resource and the subsequent need to invest in its protection despite a shrinking fiscal space.
Concluding its twenty-fourth session, the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues sent three draft decisions to the Economic and Social Council for formal adoption, as its Chair highlighted the importance of Indigenous-led education that is liberating and not colonizing..
The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) by nine days, until 9 May, apparently to allow more time for members to discuss the matter amid escalating tensions in the country.
Four and half months after the fall of the Assad regime, the recently appointed head of the entity investigating violent crimes committed in Syria since the start of its civil war highlighted new hope that justice will be served.
Warning the Security Council today that the Russian Federation’s three-year “war of choice” continues to kill and injure Ukrainian civilians, a senior United Nations official called for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire despite offers of temporary truces.
