Sixty-seventh General Assembly

Sixth Committee

14^th Meeting (AM)

Legal Committee Hears Oral Report of Informal Consultations

 

on Administration of Justice at United Nations

 

The Sixth Committee (Legal) met this morning to consider an oral report by the Coordinator of the informal consultations on the administration of justice at the United Nations.

Thomas Fitschen (Germany) gave a comprehensive review of the informal meetings, held 15, 16 and 18 October.  He noted that the Secretariat had already responded to a number of questions that had arisen during the consultations, thus allowing for the timely conclusion of work on the topic.  For background, see Press Release GA/L/3439.

First discussed, he said, were the amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the United Nations Dispute and Appeals Tribunals.  Delegations had pointed out that the amendments to increase both Tribunals’ plenary meetings would be justified by their geographic decentralization.  However, as the additional meetings had cost implications, the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) would need to consider the matter.

Also discussed during the informal consultations, he said, was the issue of allowing individual contractors and consultants access to the informal system, as well as the Secretary-General’s proposal to implement a mechanism of expedited arbitration procedures for such staff.  Among other topics considered were proposals for mechanisms regarding the possible misconduct of judges, and means of addressing disputes available to non-staff personnel, other than consultants and contractors.

After hearing the oral report, the United States’ representative called attention to several significant aspects of the letter drafted in the informal consultations on behalf of the Sixth Committee to the President of the General Assembly, and to the topic in general.  He pointed out that the Dispute and Appeals Tribunals should not have powers beyond what was designated in their statutes and emphasized that the financial obligations imposed by judgments of the Tribunals should follow the timelines within their statutes. 

Yuriy A. Sergeyev (Ukraine), Chair of the Sixth Committee, said he would send the letter to the General Assembly President, which contained within a request that it be brought to the attention of the Fifth Committee Chairperson and be circulated as a document of the General Assembly.

The Committee will meet again Monday, 22 October, at 10 a.m. to take up the Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts and to consider effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives.

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For information media • not an official record