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To prevent outer space from becoming another military battlefield, delegates today explored ways to establish a rules‑based order to securely govern that sphere, which they called “a common asset for humanity”, as the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) continued its work.

Technology must act as a bridge, not a divide at a time when the world sought to leave no one behind while striving to realize common objectives in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Economic and Social Council heard today at its third annual multi‑stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals.

With 8 per cent of people around the world living in poverty, and 192 million unemployed, achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development would require unleashing the power of the business community to solve entrenched structural ills, delegates told the Economic and Social Council Partnership Forum today.

Amid “gulfs of mistrust” that had divided citizens from Governments, slowed the delivery of life-saving aid to millions in need and fomented divisions of “us” and “them”, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the seventy-first annual debate of the General Assembly today, pressing world leaders to commit to new heights of solidarity in forging a better future.

Underscoring the need to bolster regional commissions in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, speakers focused on areas ranging from trade and transport to the environment and natural hazards, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met with those bodies today.

Rapid urbanization presented some of today’s greatest modern development challenges, yet if effectively harnessed — especially by the world’s 1 billion migrants — it could unleash tremendous growth opportunities, speakers said today as the Commission on Population and Development opened its fifty‑first session.

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the Seven for 7 Event: “Celebrating Leadership & Innovation on SDG7”, in New York today:

“I am here to sound the alarm,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, urging political leaders gathered for the General Assembly’s annual debate to overcome divisions and wilful blindness before it was too late to effectively address such global challenges as widespread insecurity, deepening inequality, government waste, and the impacts of climate change.