Sixty-sixth General Assembly

Sixth Committee

17^th Meeting (PM)

Legal Committee Reviews Procedure for Dealing with Topics of Justice

 

at United Nations, Principle of Applying Universal Jurisdiction

 

Request for Assembly Observer Status for Renewable Energy Agency Is Approved

The Sixth Committee (Legal) met this afternoon to consider oral reports by the Chairpersons of two working groups, as well as a draft resolution on request of observer status in the General Assembly.

Kriangsak Kittichaisaree, of Thailand and Chairperson of the Working Group on the Administration of Justice at the United Nations, and Eduardo Ulibarri, of Costa Rica and Chairperson of the Working Group on the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, both gave comprehensive reviews of the procedures, deliberations, and outcomes of their respective working groups to the Committee.  (For background, see Press Releases GA/L/3414 and GA/L/3415, respectively.)

After hearing the recommendations of the Working Group on the Administration of Justice made, several delegates, including those of Guatemala, Japan, United States, Switzerland and Argentina, had questions about procedure for the draft resolution and the letter that would be brought to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) and circulated as a document of the General Assembly.  The Chairperson welcomed their comments and offered clarification.  Consideration of the agenda item was then concluded.

Following the presentation of his oral report, the Chairperson of the Working Group on the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction offered his personal observations and guidelines on how to proceed.  He urged that delegates avoid discussions of doctrine and instead focus on practical approaches that would produce relevant results on this matter.  He then offered several suggestions towards this end.  Consideration of the debate was then concluded.

The Committee then took up the draft resolution requesting observer status for the International Renewable Energy Agency in the General Assembly (document A/C.6/66/L.4).  (For background, see Press Release GA/L/3409.)

The delegate of the United Arab Emirates announced additional co-sponsors to the resolution.  The representative of Sweden then requested to be included in the list.  Offering congratulations to the delegate of the United Arab Emirates, the representative of Saudi Arabia emphasized the importance of the resolution.

The draft was then approved without a vote and consideration for this agenda item was concluded.

The Committee will meet on Monday, 24 October, at 10:00 a.m., to consider the report of the International Law Commission, beginning with the First Cluster of topics in the report, which includes chapters I-III, IV and V.

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For information media • not an official record