Sixth Committee Speakers Call for Programme of Assistance’s Audiovisual Library, Regional Courses to Be Funded through Organization’s Regular Budget
To guarantee the survival of its core components and key activities, the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law must be funded through the Organization’s regular budget, delegates in the Sixth Committee (Legal) asserted today as deliberations on the matter began.
Virginia Morris, Secretary of its Advisory Committee, pointed out that a decade ago the Programme had provided training for about 20 lawyers per year. Today, it was training approximately one million lawyers annually. Prior to the financial decline of 2008, the Office of Legal Affairs had been able to provide additional regular budget resources to support the Division’s increasing activities. However, because regular budget resources were withdrawn in recent years, the Codification Division had increasingly faced difficulties in obtaining voluntary contributions for its Regional Courses and for the Audiovisual Library of International Law, threatening the survival of two of its key activities.
The Regional Courses for Asia-Pacific for 2012 and 2013 had been cancelled due to lack of funds from the regular budget and voluntary contributions, she continued. Noting that it had been a decade since a Regional Course for Latin America and the Caribbean was conducted, she said the course scheduled to take place in Uruguay this year had also been cancelled for the same reasons. The Audiovisual Library, at relatively modest operating costs, had the unprecedented capacity to provide free high-quality international legal training to an unlimited number of users around the world. However, $250,000 was required to ensure its continued work.
Similarly, Ken Kanda (Ghana), Chairman of the Advisory Committee, describing how the Programme had been established to assist developing countries emerge from colonialism, stressed the critical need to provide more reliable funding through the regular budget or voluntary contributions, primarily for regional courses and the Audiovisual Library. Despite numerous General Assembly resolutions requesting funding through the regular budget, there had been no increase in the Programme’s budget for the current biennium, a situation the General Assembly was invited to reconsider for the current biennium.
Costa Rica’s representative, on behalf of the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (CELAC), said that the Community had sent a letter to the Secretary-General in June this year requesting recommendations on a way to forward a sustainable solution. The response letter had pointed out that specific language requesting funding to organize regional courses for Africa, Asia and Latin America must be included in the resolution. Calling on delegations to support and approve the inclusion of such language this year, she said “the time for meaningful action by this Committee is now.”
Uruguay’s representative recalled that it had now been a decade since regional courses had been held in Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite the significant costs entailed, his country had offered to host a course this year. However, his Government later learned that the Secretary-General’s draft budget for 2014-15 did not include sufficient funds to develop the three regional courses. The courses, excluding the Africa regional course, were subsequently cancelled, confirming that voluntary funding could not reliably sustain those activities. The Africa regional course held in Ethiopia had proceeded because of a generous donation from Australia.
A representative of the Russian Federation said it was unfortunate that although the Programme’s was essential to promoting the rule of law at the international level, it had simply been ignored. Without funding, the Programme was at the brink of discontinuation. As did many other delegations, she expressed support for the conclusions of the Advisory Committee and further welcomed the recommendation that Programme funding be shifted to the regular budget of the United Nations for the full implementation of its activities.
Pakistan’s representative, remarking that since 2008, over one million users — about 400 per day — had made use of the Audiovisual Library, emphasized that it was critical to provide sufficient funds for the Codification Division to implement its programmes. Echoing many of his counterparts, he voiced hope that the Advisory Committee’s recommendations would receive positive results, making possible the dissemination and appreciation of international law.
Other speakers today were representatives of Bolivia (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China), Lao People’s Democratic Republic (on behalf of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)), South Africa (on behalf of the African Group), Sudan, Argentina, Ethiopia, Brazil, Malaysia, Australia, United Republic of Tanzania, Nigeria, Algeria, Belarus, Norway (also speaking for Iceland), Sri Lanka, Ireland, and United States, as well as the European Union and the Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (DOALOS).
The Sixth Committee will meet at 10 a.m. on Monday, 20 October, to conclude its debate on the Programme of Assistance and then 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 Consideration of effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives.
Background
The Sixth Committee (Legal) had before it two documents: Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law (document A/69/516) and Addendum to the Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law (document A/69/516/Add.1).
Opening Remarks
VIRGINIA MORRIS, Secretary of the Advisory Committee on the Programme of Assistance, said that while the General Assembly had approved activities to be conducted under the Programme for the current biennium 2014-2015 at its previous session, it had not provided any additional resources. The Codification Division’s review of activities under the Programme of Assistance had resulted in a significant increase in international law training opportunities and research materials for the benefit of lawyers in every country of the world.
When the review process began a decade ago, the Programme had provided training for about 20 lawyers per year, she said. Today, it was training about one million lawyers annually. Before the financial decline in 2008, the Office of Legal Affairs had been able to provide additional regular budget resources to support the increasing activities of the Division. However, those regular budget resources were withdrawn due to overall budget reductions for the Office of Legal Affairs in recent years, with the exception of one General Service level 7 (G-7) staff member who currently worked on the Division’s websites.
In terms of its financial situation for 2014, she said the Division had lost two additional staff posts and had experienced difficulty obtaining voluntary contributions for the Regional Courses and Audiovisual Library. While she had countless meetings with delegations from every regional group who had all expressed support for the Programme’s activities, the majority of them had indicated that their countries were not able to provide financial support for various reasons relating to their national laws and development aid programmes.
Consequently, she continued, voluntary contributions received this year had not adequately funded regional courses or the Audiovisual Library. In terms of the financial situation for 2015, it was anticipated that the regular budget would provide sufficient resources for 20 fellowships for the International Law Fellowship Programme. However, additional resources would be required in 2015 for regional courses in international law for Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean; the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law; and desktop publishing.
Turning to implementation of the Programme’s activities this year and plans for conducting those activities in 2015, she said the International Law Fellowship Programme had been a great success this year in terms of the distinguished lecturers, the broad curriculum, the extensive course materials and value of that training for participants in the performance of their professional responsibilities. The regular budget had provided adequate funds to cover the cost of the course for 21 fellowship participants. But, because of the reduction of Codification Division staff, voluntary contributions were used to pay for an additional lawyer to assist with planning and conducting the training course. As the Division hoped to increase the number of fellowships from 20 to 30 participants, she encouraged additional voluntary contributions to offer more fellowships for the training course next year.
On the Regional Courses in International Law, she said the Division could no longer afford to pay the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to perform the administrative aspects of the Regional Courses as it had previously done. The Programme needed necessary resources in funding and staff to perform those functions with respect to each of its training courses. The Regional Course for Africa conducted this year, while successful, had been paid for by voluntary contributions due to limited regular budget funding. Noting that the 2015 Regional Course for Africa still needed about $100,000 plus 13 per cent programme support costs, she made an urgent appeal for voluntary contributions.
Furthermore, despite the generous support of Thailand, the Regional Courses for Asia-Pacific for 2012 and 2013 had been cancelled due to lack of funding from the regular budget and voluntary contributions, she said. In addition, because of the lack of resources, the Division was not in a position to proceed with plans to conduct that course in 2015. More so, it had not been able to conduct a Regional Course for Latin America and the Caribbean for the past decade. The course scheduled to take place in Uruguay this year had been cancelled, due to lack of funding from the regular budget and voluntary contributions, despite generous support from the Government of Uruguay. Also the result of a lack of resources, the Division was not in a position to proceed with plans to conduct the course in 2015.
The Audiovisual Library of International Law had given the Organization the unprecedented capacity to provide, at a relatively modest cost, high quality international law training by leading scholars and practitioners from different regions and legal systems to an unlimited number of users around the world free of charge through the internet. It had also recorded lectures by leading international legal scholars and practitioners, including five Presidents of the International Court of Justice, several members of the International Law Commission and a lecture earlier this week by the President of the Rwanda Tribunal on the legacy of that tribunal. Highlighting that it was accessed by about 1 million users in all 193 Member States, she said most of the lawyers who used it were in developing countries. Unfortunately, there was a distinct possibility that work on the Library would also have to be discontinued due to the lack of resources from the regular budget and voluntary contributions. Noting that $250,000 was needed to ensure the continuation of the Audiovisual Library, she made an urgent appeal to Member States to generously support the Library.
On legal publications, she said that the Codification Division, unfortunately, had discontinued its desktop publishing this year due to a lack of resources. As it was anticipated that the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management would not issue any of those legal publications in the near future, there would consequently be a backlog in publication, as well as a loss of revenue for the Organization from publication sales. Additional, regular budget finances would be required to resume desktop publishing in 2015 or the next biennium. The Codification Division’s creation and maintenance of over 20 websites, funded by the regular budget, which contained information about the work of various legal bodies and publications had greatly increased the dissemination of relevant information and publications around the world.
Turning to the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Fellowship, which was funded by voluntary contributions and required approximately $78,000, she said there was insufficient funding to make an award this year for implementation in 2015. As the current balance was approximately $60,000, consideration was being given to ways in which a meaningful fellowship could be offered to public servants in the future. Information concerning the implementation of the fellowship in 2015 would be provided in the Secretary-General’s report on the Programme of Assistance that would be submitted to the General Assembly at its next session.
KEN KANDA (Ghana), Chairman of the Advisory Committee on the United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law, speaking also in his national capacity, laid out the Programme’s genesis. Proposed by Ghana in the 1960s during the decolonization movement across three regions (Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean), it aimed to provide international legal training by the most highly qualified international lawyers from different regions and legal systems, primarily for the benefit of lawyers in developing countries.
However, over the past three years, the road had been difficult, primarily due to monetary issues, he underscored. For that reason he had convened a series of informal briefings in 2013 and 2014, bringing together bankers and lawyers to address and resolve the Programme’s funding problems, particularly with regard to the regional courses and the Audiovisual Library. Some of the Programme’s activities lacked resources, both in funding and staff. Among the Advisory Committee’s recommendations was a need to provide more reliable funding for all Programme activities through the regular budget or voluntary contributions, primarily for the regional courses and the Audiovisual Library.
He also noted that despite numerous Assembly resolutions to fund it through the regular budget, there had been no increase in the Programme’s budget for the current biennium. That had not only prevented the implementation of some planned activities this year, but would also negatively impact others in 2015. Therefore, the General Assembly was invited to reconsider the Programme’s funding for the current biennium.
In addition, the Advisory Committee recommended that there be a specific request to include additional resources in the proposed 2016-2017 programme budget for the organization of regional courses each year and for further development of the Audiovisual Library, and that those requests also include funding for staff.
Another recommendation was to include in the regular budget the necessary funding for the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship on the Law of the Sea, should voluntary contributions be insufficient for granting at least one fellowship per year. He expressed hope that the Sixth (Legal) and Fifth (Administrative and Budgetary) Committees would support those recommendations so that the fiftieth anniversary of the Programme next year would be celebrated with the knowledge its future was secure.
Statements
Mr. LLORENTTY SOLIZ (Bolivia), speaking for the Group of 77 and China, said that at a time when strengthening the rule of law was on the international community’s agenda, the Programme of Assistance continued to be a critical tool for training lawyers, particularly Government officials, in international law. Thus, the lack of regular budgetary funding for the Programme was of great concern, he said, noting the cancelation of regional courses, the possibility of the Audiovisual Library being discontinued and the lack of funding for the 2014 Amerasinghe Fellowship. Already last year, the entire Programme was at risk, and in spite of the efforts made by the Group of 77 and China, Member States had not succeeded in taking the necessary measures to include the Programme of Assistance in the Organization’s regular budget.
Noting the Advisory Committee’s recommendations, he said it was for the Sixth Committee and the General Assembly, including its organs dealing with the budget, as well as the Fifth Committee, to continue on the path initiated by the Advisory Committee. The Ministerial Declaration of the Foreign Ministers of the “G77” and China this past September had reiterated that there must be adequate financing for all aspects of the Programme through the United Nations regular budget for the biennium 2014-2015. The Group was ready to take the necessary steps to operationalize the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, both at the Sixth and Fifth Committees. He urged all Member States to join efforts in ensuring that the Advisory Committee’s recommendations were effectively implemented for the provision of regular budgetary funding to the Programme.
KHIANE PHANSOURIVONG (Lao People’s Democratic Republic), speaking for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said that the Programme of Assistance, instrumental to promoting wider appreciation of international law among Member States, had significantly contributed to the strengthening of international peace and security and the development and enhancement of human rights protection at national, regional and international levels. He singled out the Law Fellowship Programme, which provided the most comprehensive international legal training for lawyers from developing countries and emerging economies, while incorporating the use of advanced technology, in particular the Audiovisual Library, as a cost-effective and widely accessible tool to disseminate information. He expressed hope that it would be expanded in the future.
Noting that the organization of regional courses in international law in different regions of the world was the Programme’s main component, he welcomed the course planned for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in 2015. He also voiced hope that previously cancelled courses would be reorganized in the Asia-Pacific region. He urged Member States and other stakeholders to consider making voluntary contributions to the Programme. The Programme’s precarious financial situation was of great concern and he reiterated that the whole budget for the regional courses and Audiovisual Library should come from the regular budget, as well as contributions from Member States. In that context, he recalled the relevant General Assembly resolution requesting the provision of a budget to the Programme of Assistance for the 2014-2015 biennium.
KINGSLEY MAMABOLO (South Africa), speaking for the African Group, and expressing appreciation for the Programme’s work, particularly in regards to the development of international law in Africa, said that the African Union had made a decision in May 2013 to support funding of the Programme, including through the regular budget of the United Nations.
He also commended the efforts of the Codification Division in organizing regional courses, stating that “the value of the regional courses are incalculable”. However, he expressed concern over cancellation of the 2014 regional course for Asia-Pacific due to lack of funds, and failure to hold the course for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2014 for the same reason.
“The Sixth Committee […] and the General Assembly have to deal with this matter of the funding of the Programme of Assistance head-on and build on the Advisory Committee’s recommendations,” he emphasized. Those recommendations must be approved and funds from the regular budget provided to the Programme of Assistance.
GEORGINA GUILLEN-GRILLO (Costa Rica), speaking for Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), said that the Programme’s twenty-six international law-related websites, which were “remarkably user-friendly”, contained valuable resources and had potential to reach millions of people worldwide. Furthermore, no effort should be spared to maintain an updated collection of the summaries and decisions of the International Court of Justice in all the official languages. Bearing in mind that the working languages of the Court were English and French, the updated collection was the only means for countries in her region to access them.
Financing was crucial to the implementation of those programmes, she stressed, noting that General Assembly resolutions 67/91 and 78/110 had specifically requested that for 2014-2015, resources necessary for the Programme of Assistance be provided to “ensure [its] continued effectiveness and further development […], in particular the organization of the United Nations regional courses in International Law on a regular basis and the viability of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law.”
However those resources had not been provided, she said, causing grave concern to her region. Voluntary contributions were not a sustainable way to finance the courses, as demonstrated by the cancellation of two regional courses, despite the willingness of the host countries to provide 25 per cent of the financing. “The time for meaningful action by this Committee is now,” she said.
The Community, she said, had sent a letter to the Secretary-General in June of this year explaining the grave financial situation of the Programme and requesting recommendations on the way forward to a sustainable solution. His response indicated that the language included in paragraph 7 of resolution 68/110 did not specifically request the Secretary-General to undertake additional activities not currently mandated. Language must be included specifically requesting the organization of additional activities, inter alia, the regional courses for Africa, Asia and Latin America. She requested delegations to support and approve the inclusion of the specific language needed in this year’s resolution.
GILLES MARHIC, Delegation of the European Union, said the need for international law training and dissemination of legal knowledge and materials was a constant and the value-added of the Programme of Assistance was for the benefit of all States. He reiterated strong support for the Programme and commended the Office of Legal Affairs, and the Codification Division, in particular, for its efforts to strengthen and revitalize activities under the Programme in order to meet the changing needs of the international legal community in the twenty-first century.
He acknowledged the achievements of the Audiovisual Library of International Law, acknowledging the contributions of the International Court of Justice Registry, Hague Academy of International Law and Carnegie Foundation to the International Law Fellowship Programme. He commended States that had provided voluntary contributions to the Programme to date and encouraged all States to consider making more frequent or increasing contributions in the future in order to sustain the projected regional courses and the Audiovisual Library. He expressed hope that practical and sustainable financing solutions would soon be established.
IDREES SAEED (Sudan), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, as well as the African Group, said the Programme of Assistance represented one of the most important aspects of the United Nations with regard to the rule of law, especially for developing countries. It had increased awareness of the purposes of international law and promoted national coherence with international law, and the Audiovisual Library was beneficial to individuals and foundations. He expressed concern about the financial difficulties that had caused the cancellation of regional courses in the Asia-Pacific and Latin American and Caribbean regions, and stressed the need to provide funding for those courses through the regular budget for the 2016-2017 biennium. He commended the decision by the African Union to provide funding for the regional course in Africa. As a Member of the Advisory Committee, he said its deliberations had been constructive and productive, noting his delegation’s robust participation. He further recognized the high professionalism of the Codification Division, particularly of Virginia Morris and her team.
ELENA MELIKBEKYAN (Russian Federation) said the Programme of Assistance was an important factor in promoting the rule of law at the international level. Unfortunately, in recent years it had simply been ignored without justification. Without funding, the Programme was at the brink of discontinuation. As voluntary contributions had not proven to be a reliable source of funding to meet Programme needs, she said she agreed with the conclusions of the Advisory Committee. She further welcomed the recommendation that Programme funding be shifted to the regular budget of the United Nations, with the expectation that such a change would resolve the problem of inadequate resources for the full implementation of its activities. Finally, she noted the invaluable contributions made by the Office of Legal Affairs.
FERNANDA MILLICAY (Argentina), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, as well as CELAC, said that taking into account the double objectives of disseminating international law in furtherance of the rule of law, and as a tool for capacity-building, particularly in developing countries, highlighted crucial aspects of the Programme’s work, including its publications and the Audiovisual Library, which were a priceless resource for Member States, public officials, lawyers, students and researchers. Also, the Programme’s regional courses allowed participants to concentrate on topics of international law of current interest to the region. Thus, the lack of funds that had led to the cancellation of those courses for the Asia-Pacific, and Latin American and Caribbean regions was cause for concern. Lastly, its international law scholarship programmes were the most comprehensive for international lawyers. She said that while Argentina believed that all the Programme’s activities should be funded through the regular budget, the Advisory Committee’s funding recommendations were “a step in the right direction”.
YIDNEKACHEW GEBRE-MESKEL ZEWDU (Ethiopia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, as well as the African Group, called upon the United Nations to organize regional courses in international law on a regular basis, stressing that such courses would give lawyers from developing and least developed countries the opportunity to grasp current developments in international law and promote cooperation among Member States. His country had demonstrated its commitment in that regard by hosting the first, second, third and fourth United Nations Regional Courses in International Law for the African Region, which had been held in Addis Ababa. Ethiopia would continue to host the Regional Course and collaborate with the United Nations in that endeavour. He expressed appreciation for all Member States that had made voluntary contributions, particularly Australia, whose generous voluntary contribution enabled the regional course for Africa to be held this year.
PATRICK LUNA (Brazil), associating himself with CELAC, said it seemed paradoxical that as the debate on the rule of law gained prominence, funding decreased from the Organization’s regular budget for the Programme of Assistance. The recent recommendations adopted by the Advisory Committee for the Programme was a clear step forward and his delegation welcomed the flexibility exercised in order to achieve consensus. His country was committed to both ensuring that those recommendations were reflected in the resolution to be adopted in the Sixth Committee, and obtaining due approval by the Fifth Committee.
HUSSEIN HANIFF (Malaysia), associating with the Group of 77 and China, as well as ASEAN, hailed the Programme as an “important building block” in the promotion of the rule of law, while the Audiovisual Library was a vital resource whose archives were a “window” into international law. Noting that the International Law Fellowship Programme was also essential, he welcomed the holding of regional courses in Ethiopia from 7 April to 2 May, and urged that others be held in different regions. The Programme should be funded through the regular budget. Drawing attention to the Assembly resolutions that outlined the Secretary-General’s role in ensuring such funding, he called on States to ensure the Programme received the necessary resources for its activities.
JULIA O’BRIEN (Australia) said that this year, Australia had made an unprecedented $150,000 contribution to the 2014 Regional Course for Africa, in which more than 30 participants shared experiences and exchanged ideas to facilitate understanding and cooperation on legal matters. “It is clear that a world order based on the rule of law is key to strengthening international peace and security”, she said, voicing concern over a lack of funding for the Programme, and further, its potential impact on regional training courses. While the funding model might need to be reviewed, she urged States to increase their voluntary contributions, as joint efforts would ensure that fellowships, courses and library services remained available to all institutions around the world.
TULLY MWAIPOPO (United Republic of Tanzania), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, as well as the African Group, noted the continuing financial difficulties that had prevented the regional courses for the Asia-Pacific, and Latin American and Caribbean regions, and had impeded continued implementation of desktop publishing for legal publications. Voluntary contributions alone had not been a sustainable means of funding the Programme’s activities. More reliable funding was needed for all the Programme’s activities, without which the future of the entire Programme was threatened. On a regional platform, she pointed out that the African Union had established the African Institute of International Law, located in her country, as an independent educational and research institution dedicated to the teaching, dissemination of and advanced research in international law of relevance to Africa. The Institute had organized a training workshop on “bilateral investment treaties and arbitration” to be held in Arusha from 16 to 20 February 2015.
ALVARO CERIANI (Uruguay), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, as well as CELAC, recalled that regional courses were not being held in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2004. That situation had led his country to offer to hold such a course, although holding those courses in recent years had posed difficulties related to the host country agreement and funding. Nevertheless, Uruguay had overcome those obstacles as it signed a diplomatic note to hold the course in May of this year. It was informed that the host country should cover from 25 to 30 per cent of the cost and the United Nations would cover the rest.
That was a significant sum for a developing country, he noted. However, as Uruguay was committed to the Programme, with great effort it committed from $50,000 to $60,000 of its share to holding the regional course. It had seemed that everything was on track to hold the course when his Government learned that the Secretary-General’s draft budget for 2014-15 did not have sufficient financial provisions to develop those three regional courses.
Under the Group of 77, he continued, Uruguay had proposed the introduction of a paragraph to be incorporated into a resolution in order to provide the necessary funds for holding the regional courses. However, at the last minute, the text had not been adopted; the regional courses for Latin America and the Caribbean and for Asia-Pacific had to be immediately cancelled. The Regional Course for Africa had survived due to a generous donation from Australia. Such cancelations confirmed that voluntary funding could not reliably sustain those courses, for which funding must be incorporated from the Organization’s regular budget.
Recalling the letter that CELAC had sent to the Secretary-General and the Under-Secretary-General for Management’s response that language in paragraph 7 of resolution 68/110 and previous ones had not been sufficient for allocating funds, he stressed the necessity of having text that clearly set out that those courses must be funded by the regular budget. He expressed hope that the Sixth Committee would act in line with the Advisory Committee’s recommendations and adopt in its resolution this year the provision so that regional courses could be incorporated in the Organization’s regular budget and could be held in the biennium 2016-2017.
ADELEYE ELIAS-FATILE (Nigeria) said the Programme had been creating positive impacts on students and international law practitioners since 1965. It was an instrument that fostered a deeper understanding of complex issues in an interconnected world. Commending the Office of Legal Affairs and the Codification Division for their relentless efforts in implementing the Programme, he urged States to explore the possibility of an appropriate increase in financial support for the Programme through the regular budget.
MOHAMED SELAH EDDINE BELAID (Algeria), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, as well as the African Group, shared the opinion that the Programme was an important tool for strengthening international peace and security and promoting a culture of peace and cooperation among States. However, its achievements were constantly overshadowed by recurrent financial problems due to the inconsistency, insufficiency and irregularity of voluntary contributions. He expressed concern about the cancellation of regional courses and the constant threats to continuity of the International Law Fellowship Programme, viability of the Audiovisual Library and existence of the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship on the Law of the Sea. Voluntary contributions were inadequate. Reliable funding for the Programme required compliance and implementation of General Assembly resolution 68/110, which requested the Secretary-General to provide the biennium 2014-2015 with the necessary resources to ensure the Programme’s continued effectiveness and further development.
ILYA ADAMOV (Belarus) said his delegation was indebted to Virginia Morris for her tireless efforts on behalf of the Programme of Assistance. The authority of international law did not depend only on the political interests of States. Rather, international law’s strength rested on broad public understanding and knowledge of it. In recent years, his country had had a number of seminars and courses at the international level on various legal issues and aspects of international law for a range of jurists and researchers in Belarus and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). At the regional level, experts from the United Nations Secretariat and other international bodies had participated in seminars.
Such courses helped ensure the progressive development of international law, he pointed out. However, organizing them in developing and middle-income countries posed constraints with respect to funding and voluntary contributions. A system to provide assistance to the international community for such activities was needed. Despite resounding declarations on the importance of upholding the rule of law and financing certain initiatives in that area, the Programme of Assistance, including the Audiovisual Library, continued to suffer from inadequate funding. Consequently, the Programme’s ability to carry out its activities and ability to uphold the international rule of law continued to be negatively impacted.
ANDREAS MOTZFELDT KRAVIK (Norway), speaking also for Iceland, said the Programme recognized the value of mastering the complexities of international law and fundamental importance of making the most advanced and sophisticated international legal resources available to all. Its Audiovisual Library had been accessed by some 862,000 computers in all 193 member States, and the number of applications for regional courses and fellowships was staggering. That demonstrated and confirmed the demand for legal training and research materials in developing and developed countries. Expressing concern that regional courses had been cancelled due to insufficient funding, he said it was clear that voluntary contributions were an unsustainable funding method. The only way to guarantee adequate funding was to go through the regular budget. In that light, he encouraged all Member States to ensure that the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to act accordingly.
PALITHA KOHONA (Sri Lanka), acknowledging the concern voiced among various delegations over a lack of funding for the Programme, said that the Audiovisual Library, which provided access to a “wealth” of international law-related material, and the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship on the Law of the Sea were also experiencing severe financial stress. He encouraged State Parties to contribute to the Fellowship programme to ensure its continuation. The Advisory Committee had recommended that additional funding be provided for the regional courses and Library under the 2016-17 biennium programme budget, he said, encouraging States to cooperate in the Sixth and Fifth Committees to ensure such recommendations were implemented.
SAHEBZADA KHAN (Pakistan), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that while he appreciated the Programme’s efforts to utilize available resources, he expressed concern that insufficient funding had led to the cancellation of regional courses. He noted further that, since 2008, over one million users, about 400 per day, had made use of the Audiovisual Library. It was imperative to provide sufficient finances for the Codification Division to implement those programmes. In that context, he expressed hope that the Advisory Committee’s recommendations would receive positive results, making possible the dissemination and appreciation of international law.
JOHN ARBOGAST (United States) expressed appreciation for the creative ways in which the Codification Division had been able to keep important programmes going in the face of limited resources, and encouraged it to continue those “commendable efforts” to secure voluntary contributions to supplement programme budget resources. “There is no question that the regional courses in international law, the Audiovisual Library and other Programme of Assistance activities are valuable and well-run, and worthy of support,” he said, expressing hope that “this very excellent Programme” would thrive for years to come.
Ms. MORRIS, responding to questions and concerns from delegations, said that 30 participants had attended the Regional Course for Africa this year. In terms of its profile, she noted participants were mainly from Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The Course had also received applications from Ministries of Justice and Offices of the Attorney General. On the profile of its lecturers, she said the Programme remained guided by the vision of the late Ambassador Dadzie of Ghana to give lawyers in developing countries the opportunity to learn from the most highly qualified lawyers from different regions and different legal systems.
She went on to say that core subjects, such as human rights, were covered. Regional courses focused on legal aspects or issues that were of particular interest to a region. Training courses were interactive, tough and demanding. Students were expected to participate. The goal was not only to convey knowledge but to promote understanding among lawyers in each region. The Programme had a network of participants to facilitate contact as well as to disseminate information.
ANNABETH ROSENBOOM, Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea, said the last candidate who had received the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Fellowship was a female lawyer from Sao Tome who was an officer in her country’s national petroleum agency. She was currently participating in a nine-month program, commencing first with the Division before continuing on in Sweden. She had been selected specifically because of the relevance of her research theme in security and environmental aspects of the Gulf region.
In response to a question concerning the Division’s efforts to ensure voluntary contributions, she expressed gratitude to Ireland, Monaco and Slovenia. However, those were not sufficient, to support the fellowship for 2015. The Division had made various calls on Member States for voluntary contributions through letters sent to all Permanent Missions in New York and during the various meetings serviced by the Director of the Division. The Fellowship was also discussed during various bilateral meetings.