Junje A.

Cedeño BSCE 1B

1. Security Council

Protection of Civilians

Expected Council Action

In May, the Security Council will hold its annual open debate on the protection of civilians (PoC) in
armed conflict. Switzerland, the Council president for the month, is convening the debate as a
ministerial-level signature event with an expected focus on food insecurity and the protection of
essential services in conflict situations. Secretary-General António Guterres, ICRC President Mirjana
Spoljaric Egger, and a female civil society representative are expected to brief. President of the Swiss
Confederation Alain Berset will chair the meeting.

Council members will receive the Secretary-General’s annual PoC report by mid-May.

2. General Assembly

Central Asia Zone of Peace ‘a Shining Example of Multilateralism’, Delegate Tells General Assembly

Organ also Adopts Resolutions on Nutrition Decade, Sustainable Transport Day, Community-based
Health Services, Chernobyl Cooperation

Following its consideration of the zone of peace, trust and cooperation of Central Asia, the General
Assembly today adopted four consensus resolutions — one calling for scaled-up efforts on the United
Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016-2025), one declaring 26 November as World Sustainable
Transport Day, one recognizing the importance of community-based health services and one requesting
continued cooperation on the legacy of the Chernobyl disaster.

By the terms of the text introduced by Brazil titled “Implementation of the United Nations Decade of
Action on Nutrition (2016–2025)”, the Assembly called for increased investments and the scaled-up
implementation of national commitments. In emphasizing the need to advance the global nutrition
agenda in a manner consistent with the right to adequate food, it urged Member States to make food
security, food safety and nutrition a high priority; strengthen the rules-based, non-discriminatory, open,
fair, inclusive, equitable and transparent multilateral trading system; and keep food markets open. The
Assembly also called on them to accelerate their efforts across the Decade’s six action areas and on the
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to continue to lead
on and monitor implementation.
The organ next adopted the text introduced by Turkmenistan titled “World Sustainable Transport Day”,
through which it invited all Member States, United Nations entities, international and regional
organizations, civil society and other stakeholders to commemorate the Day in an appropriate manner.
It notably requested the President of the Assembly to consider convening, during its seventy-eighth
session, a half-day high-level meeting in New York with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs
to promote sustainable transport cooperation.

3.Economic and Social Council

Continuing its 2023 Resumed Session, Non-Governmental Organizations Committee Recommends 16

Entities for Consultative Status, Defers Action on 120 Others

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations continued its 2023 resumed session today,
recommending 16 entities for special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and
deferring action on 120 others.

The 19-member Committee considers applications for consultative status and requests for
reclassification submitted by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Once an application has been
reviewed and approved by the Committee it is considered recommended for general, special or roster
status based on such criteria as the applicant’s mandate, governance and financial regime.
Organizations granted general and special status can attend meetings of the Council and issue
statements, while those with general status can also speak during meetings and propose agenda items.
Those with roster status can only attend meetings.

Action on several applications was deferred because Committee members requested further
information from the candidates about issues including details of their organizations’ activities, partners,
expenditures, sources of funding and areas of operation.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 18 May, to
continue its session.

4. Trusteeship Council

Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
(Armenia v. Azerbaijan)
 THE HAGUE, 1 May 2023. By an Order dated 25 April 2023, the President of the International Court of
Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has fixed the time-limit within which the
Republic of Armenia may present a written statement of its observations and submissions on the
preliminary objections raised by the Republic of Azerbaijan in the case concerning Application of the
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v.
Azerbaijan).In the Order, the President notes that on 21 April 2023, Azerbaijan raised preliminary
objections to the jurisdiction of the Court, and that, in accordance with Article 79bis, paragraph 3, of the
Rules of Court, the proceedings on the merits have therefore been suspended.The President has fixed
21 August 2023 as the time-limit within which Armenia may present a written statement of its
observations and submissions on the preliminary objections raised by Azerbaijan.

On 16 September 2021, Armenia filed an Application instituting proceedings against Azerbaijan with
regard to alleged violations of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial
Discrimination (CERD). The Applicant contends that “[f]or decades, Azerbaijan has subjected Armenians
to racial discrimination” and that, “[a]s a result of this State-sponsored policy of Armenian hatred,
Armenians have been subjected to systemic discrimination, mass killings, torture and other abuse”.
According to Armenia, these violations are directed at individuals of Armenian ethnic or national origin
regardless of their actual nationality. Armenia claims that “[t]hese practices once again came to the fore
in September 2020, after Azerbaijan’s aggression against the Republic of Artsakh and Armenia” and that,
“[d]uring that armed conflict, Azerbaijan committed grave violations of the CERD”. The Applicant alleges
that “[e]ven after the end of hostilities”, following a ceasefire which entered into effect on 10 November
2020, “Azerbaijan has continued to engage in the murder, torture and other abuse of Armenian
prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons”.In its Application, Armenia claims, inter alia,
that Azerbaijan “is responsible for violating the CERD, including Articles 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7”. Armenia
further contends that “[a]ll good-faith efforts by Armenia to put an end to Azerbaijan’s violations of the
CERD through other means hav[e] failed”. Armenia therefore requests the Court “to hold Azerbaijan
responsible for its violations of the CERD, to prevent future harm, and to redress the harm that has
already been caused”.As basis for the Court’s jurisdiction, Armenia invokes Article 36, paragraph 1, of
the Statute of the Court and Article 22 of CERD, to which both States are parties.The Application also
contained a Request for the indication of provisional measures. Moreinformation on the incidental
proceedings relating to that Request and to a subsequent Request for the indication of provisional
measures can be found in press releases Nos. 2021/20, 2021/34, 2022/40, 2022/55, 2022/76 and
2023/10.It is further recalled that, by an Order dated 21 January 2022, the Court fixed 23 January 2023
and 23 January 2024 as the respective time-limits for the filing of a Memorial by Armenia and a Counter-
Memorial by Azerbaijan. The Memorial of Armenia was filled within the time-limit thus fixed.

5. Secretariat or The Secretary General

Secretary-General, at Asia-Pacific Commission Session, Notes Region Can Set Pace for Action, Urges Fast-
Tracking Climate Efforts

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message for the seventy-ninth
session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), held in Bangkok today:

I send warm greetings to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. I welcome your
theme for this session: “Accelerating climate action in Asia and the Pacific for sustainable
development”. This region accounts for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions and is home
to some of the most vulnerable countries in the world.

It is critical for global efforts to keep temperature rise under 1.5°C. Most governments in the region
have already committed to achieving carbon neutrality by mid-century. However, we must move
quickly, with significant reductions in emissions occurring within the next several years.

The Acceleration Agenda will necessitate accelerating climate actions in every area and timeframe.
The ESCAP report that serves as the foundation for your discussion outlines the required reforms and
routes.

ESCAP is ready to assist. Asia and the Pacific area have the potential to set the pace for climate action
in the coming decades. I encourage you to be brave, and I wish you a fruitful session.
References

Security Council Report. (2023, May). Monthly Forecast: Protection of Civilians [Webpage]. Retrieved
from https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly-forecast/2023-05/protection-of-civilians-5.php

United Nations General Assembly. (2023). Central Asia Zone of Peace ‘a Shining Example of
Multilateralism’, Delegate Tells General Assembly. Retrieved from
https://press.un.org/en/2023/ga12501.doc.htm

United Nations. (2023, May 18). Continuing its 2023 Resumed Session, Non-Governmental Organizations
Committee Recommends 16 Entities for Consultative Status, Defers Action on 120 Others. Retrieved
from https://press.un.org/en/2023/ngo958.doc.htm

Press releases. Press releases | INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE. (n.d.). https://www.icj-cij.org/press-

releases

United Nations. (n.d.-c). Secretary-general, at Asia-Pacific Commission session, notes region can set pace
for action, urges fast-tracking climate efforts | UN press. United Nations.
https://press.un.org/en/2023/sgsm21796.doc.htm