Despite Divergent Views about Proposals, Agenda Items, Delegates Voice Support for Special Charter Committee, as Sixth Committee Considers Report
Reports on Repertory, Repertoire Publications also Presented
Despite the persistence of divergent views on its role, Member States would remain committed to the work of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on Strengthening the Role of the United Nations, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today as it took up the work of that body.
Odo Tevi, Chairman of the Special Committee, introducing its report, said that although the focus had, once again, been on the question of assistance to third States affected by sanctions, new subjects had also been considered, including a commemoration of the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations Charter, a proposal by the Non-Aligned Movement on the pacific settlement of disputes and Ghana’s proposal on strengthening the relationship and cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations.
Thailand’s representative, highlighting the Special Committee’s role as even more relevant given today’s global environment, stressed that the time was “ripe and right” to revitalize and strengthen that body. She pointed out that the Committee had successfully negotiated many important documents, such as the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes.
El Salvador’s representative also underscored that the model rules for dispute settlement was another example of what could be achieved in the Special Committee. There were additional matters, such as rules governing the negotiations on sovereign debt restructuring that could benefit from the Special Committee’s consideration.
Nicaragua’s representative pointed out that her country on many occasions had made use of means of peaceful settlement of disputes. That matter should remain on the Special Committee’s agenda, she urged, a view echoed by a number of other delegations. Expressing concern that the Security Council had acted in matters not within its mandate, she stressed the need to reinvent the United Nations so that every Member State could work on equal footing.
Further underscoring the need for fairness to underpin the Organization’s work, many delegations called for reform, denouncing the unilateral imposition of sanctions. Among them was Iran’s representative, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, who said the Special Committee should play a key role in the Organization’s current reform process, which included the need for democratization of its principal organs and respect for the General Assembly’s role and authority.
Furthermore, Ghana’s representative stressed, the United Nations must improve coordination and cooperation in the maintenance of peace and security. Her country’s proposal before the Special Committee for a new topic entitled “Strengthening the Relationship and Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional Organizations/Arrangements in the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes” aimed to identify the gaps of work already taken up by the Organization in other fora.
However, a number of delegations, including the United States and the European Union, urged the Special Committee to not pursue agenda items that could be duplicative or inconsistent with the roles of the principal organs, with the United States representative referring to the compromise that was reflected in the Assembly’s resolution on the Charter Committee. While he cautioned about adding new items to its agenda, he said Ghana’s proposal should be seriously considered if it could help fill gaps left by efforts elsewhere in Organization.
Huw Llewellyn, Director, Codification Division also presented the Report of the Secretary General on the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council today, noting progress made, including the completion of 43 volumes of the Repertory’s 56 volumes. Those completed volumes were now available on the United Nations website. The electronic version included a full-text search feature, providing users with the opportunity to search all the studies instantaneously for any word or combination of words in the three languages of the publication, namely English, French and Spanish.
Gregor Boventer, Chief of the Security Council Practices and Charter Research Branch of the Department of Political Affairs, also noted continued good progress in the updating of the Repertoire, owing to efficiency-enhancing initiatives, such as the specialized training of staff, review of editorial processes, automation of data collection, and increased use of internal databases. He encouraged exploration of the Repertoire section on the Security Council website, pointing out improvement in that website’s search engine.
Also speaking today were representatives of Ecuador (speaking for Community of the Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)), South Africa (speaking for the African Group), Peru, Cuba, Belarus, Sudan, Qatar, India, Algeria, Libya, Nigeria and Syria. A representative of the delegation of the European Union also spoke.
The Sixth Committee would next meet Friday 23 October at 10 a.m. to conclude consideration of the Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on Strengthening the Role of the United Nations, and to begin consideration of the United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law.
Introduction of Reports
ODO TEVI (Vanuatu), Chairman of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization, introduced the Special Committee’s report (document A/70/33). In its meeting in February, the Committee had focused, in particular, on the question of the maintenance of international peace and security in order to strengthen the role of the United Nations. It also took up the question of implementing the Charter’s provisions related to assistance to third States affected by the application of Sanctions. Along with those items, it had continued considering ways and means of improving its working methods and enhancing its efficiency and utilization of resources. At the General Assembly’s invitation, it had also identified new subjects for consideration in its future work, including an appropriate commemoration of the Charter’s seventieth anniversary.
Providing an overview of each chapter’s topic and focus, he said that the first was entirely procedural and listed all items and proposals under consideration by the Special Committee. Chapter II, on the maintenance of international peace and security, contained several items discussed by the Committee, including Libya’s revised proposal with a view to strengthening the Organization’s role; the further revised working paper by Venezuela to study the proper implementation of the Charter; the revised working paper by Belarus and the Russian Federation; and the working paper submitted by Cuba on strengthening the Organization’s role and enhancing its effectiveness.
In addition, he said, the work of the Committee on the question of the appropriate commemoration of the Charter’s seventieth anniversary was discussed, with a proposal that the commemoration include an intergovernmental component that took into account steps already planned by the Organization. Chapter III on the peaceful settlement of disputes included a summary of discussions on the Russian Federation’s recommendation that the Secretariat establish a website dedicated to the peaceful settlement disputes between States, and to update the Handbook on the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes between States. It also included a summary of discussions on the proposal submitted by the Non-Aligned Movement on the pacific settlement of disputes and its impact on the maintenance of peace.
Chapter IV, he continued, reflected the summary of discussions on the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council, a topic on which the Committee had been briefed by the Secretariat. Chapter V concerned the consideration of other items, as well as a summary of discussions on both working methods and identifying new subjects. Views had been expressed regarding Ghana’s proposal on strengthening the relationship and cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations or arrangements in the peaceful settlement of disputes, which was in Annex II of the report.
HUW LLEWELLYN, Director, Codification Division, introduced the Report of the Secretary General on the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council (document A/70/295), and provided a progress report on the Repertory studies and an updated chart on the Repertory’s status. After detailing specific Supplements, he said that of the 56 volumes that the publication as a whole should consist of, 43 volumes had been completed. Twenty-eight of those had been published and 15 had been finalized and submitted for translation and publication. Work remained to be completed on 13 volumes.
He said studies from 43 complete volumes, including the 15 volumes being processed for publication, were available on the United Nations website for the Repertory. Advance versions of several studies on individual Articles for volume III of Supplement Nos. 7, 8 and 9, as well as studies for Supplement No. 10, which had been finalized, were also accessible on the website, awaiting completion of the respective volumes. The electronic version of the Repertory included a full-text search feature, providing users with the opportunity to search all the studies instantaneously for any word or combination of words in the three languages of the publication, namely English, French and Spanish.
The well-established cooperation with Columbia University Law School had continued for the twelfth consecutive year and had contributed to the preparation of the study on Article 51 for volume III of Supplement No. 10, he went on to say. The cooperation with the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law, had also continued for the fifth consecutive year and had contributed to the preparation of studies on several Articles and Supplements. The Codification Division would reach out to other academic institutions to try to increase possibilities for cooperation and to pursue greater geographical diversity in that regard. It would also continue to involve interns and academic institutions in the preparation of Repertory studies. Underscoring the importance of sustaining the Repertory, he called upon Member States for their continued support and voluntary contributions to the Trust Fund.
GREGOR BOVENTER, Chief of the Security Council Practices and Charter Research Branch of the Department of Political Affairs, said the Branch had continued to make good progress in the updating of the Repertoire. In particular, it had worked simultaneously on the preparation of its eighteenth and nineteenth Supplements. Progress had been mostly due to efficiency-enhancing initiatives, such as the specialized training of staff, review of editorial processes, automation of data collection, and increased use of internal databases. The Branch continued to work with the Department for General Assembly and Conference Management to shorten the time lag between the completion of a Supplement and its eventual publication in all six official languages.
During the last year, he said, the Branch had also continued to respond to requests for information from Member States, United Nations staff, students, academic scholars and researchers on questions relating to the current and past practice of the Council and its subsidiary bodies. He encouraged frequent exploration of the Repertoire section of the Security Council website, adding that the search engine of the Repertoire website had been improved.
In addition, the Branch had also continued to address the backlog in the preparation of volume III of the Repertory by submitting all studies on various Charter Articles for the period 2000 to 2009, he said. He thanked Angola, Benin and Turkey for their contributions to the Trust Fund for Updating the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council, China for its recent sponsorship of an associate expert, and Member States who had supported the Trust Fund over the years, noting that the Branch continued to rely on regular budget resources and voluntary contributions.
Statements
AGUSTÍN FORNELL (Ecuador), speaking for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), highlighted the Special Committee’s importance in light of the seventieth anniversary of the United Nations. The political will of Member States was needed if the Committee was to fully implement its methods of work. Underscoring the tenet to settle disputes by peaceful means, he noted that the legitimacy of sanctions was essential if they were to be effective. Thus, they must be imposed and applied in conformity with the Charter and other relevant norms of international law. In that regard, the Security Council must observe the methods of work in General Assembly resolution 64/115. The Committee should continue to examine all issues relating to the maintenance of international peace and security to strengthen the Organization.
He also welcomed the briefing on implementation of the General Assembly resolution, stating that it would be positive to have such briefings annually as the resolution contained guidelines the Security Council was meant to implement. How the Council applied sanctions could affect the credibility of the Organization. Furthermore, it was necessary to continue considering the application of the Charter’s provisions on assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions under Chapter VII. The Committee could also examine the legal aspects of reforms already decided by the Organization, if the Assembly were to make an explicit request. It was regrettable that the Committee had been unable to reach consensus on the document titled “Full validity of the Charter of the United Nations on its seventieth anniversary” (document A/AC.182/L.139). A realistic timeline for the Committee’s work giving delegations sufficient time to consider pending proposals should be adopted.
GHOLAMHOSSEIN DEHGHANI (Iran), speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, said the Committee should play a key role in the current reform process of the United Nations. Important elements of that process were the democratization of its principal organs and respect for the General Assembly’s role and authority, including on questions related to international peace and security. Of concern was the continuing encroachment by the Security Council on the functions and powers of the Assembly and the Economic and Social Council.
Security Council-imposed sanctions also continued to be concerning, he said, stressing that they should be considered as a last resort. Their use raised fundamental ethical questions of whether the suffering they inflicted on vulnerable groups in the target country were legitimate means of exerting political pressure. Thus, their objectives must be clearly defined, based on tenable legal grounds and their imposition should be for a specific timeframe. Furthermore, sanctions should be lifted as soon as their objectives were achieved. In that regard he looked forward to the Council’s use of the annex to the relevant resolution on “Introduction and implementation of sanctions imposed by the United Nations”.
He noted the proposals before the Committee suggesting new subjects, including one from the Non-Aligned Movement on pacific settlement of disputes, and another from Ghana on strengthening the relationship and cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations. He expressed regret that the Committee had been unable to reach consensus on the document addressing the Charter of the United Nations on its seventieth anniversary. Recognizing progress made in updating the Repertory and the Repertoire, he voiced concern about the backlog in preparing the Repertory’s volume III and called upon the Secretary-General to address the issue on a priority basis.
KINGSLEY MAMABOLO (South Africa), speaking for the African Group and associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said that the Special Committee should ensure that the Organization lived up to the goals of rule of law and justice. First and foremost, the Security Council must become more representative and should address problems in its working methods to prevent further erosion of its credibility and legitimacy. Yet the Special Committee had not lived up to its full potential because of “our method of work and our tendency to allow ideological battles to prevent us from performing our function, which is legal analysis”, he said.
Expressing support for the matters before the Special Committee, he said he supported the concept paper submitted by Ghana entitled “Strengthening the relationship and cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations or arrangements in the peaceful settlement of disputes”. Indeed, the Security Council had adopted resolution 2033 (2012) on the topic which, among other things, called for the “establishment of a more effective relationship between the Security Council and the African Union Peace and Security Council”. That resolution also recognized that much more needed to be done on the subject.
GILLES MARHIC (European Union) stated that sanctions remained an important instrument for the maintenance and restoration of international peace and security and, as demonstrated by the Council, could be designed in a targeted way to minimize adverse consequences for both civilian populations and third parties. Neither the Assembly nor the Economic and Social Council had found it necessary, in the reporting period, to take action related to economic problems arising from sanctions’ effects on third States. Indeed, no State had appealed for such remedy since 2003. Thus, it was no longer relevant for the Committee to study the question of assistance to third States so affected. The item should be considered every three years, except in those cases in which one or more third States were confronting special economic difficulties due to the applications of sanctions. In those cases, the item should be considered at the Special Committee’s next session.
He also noted the report’s mention of topics that had been discussed for several years without substantial progress. Those topics were duplicative of revitalizing efforts taking place within the fora of the Organization. The relationship between United Nations organs was adequately defined and did not require clarification by the Special Committee. Nor was there a need for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the use of force. Ghana’s proposal on cooperation with regional organizations, too, was being discussed in other fora; further discussions in the Special Committee should be consistent with that work. Similarly the proposal on the pacific settlement of disputes overlapped with ongoing discussions in other United Nations fora, as well. He reiterated the call to review the list of agenda items to determine the usefulness of further discussing them before examining proposals for new items and advocated implementation of the 2006 decision to reform the Special Committee’s working methods.
GUSTAVO MEZA-CUADRA VELÁSQUEZ (Peru), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement and CELAC, welcomed the briefing from the Department of Political Affairs on implementation of sanctions, stating that he hoped such briefings would become an annual practice. He reconfirmed the fundamental role of the International Court of Justice in the peaceful settlement of disputes through its two areas of competence: issuing judgments and opinions. Commending progress on updating of the Repertory and Repertoire, he looked forward to further cooperation by the former in Latin America and the Caribbean and expressed satisfaction that the Repertoire was now available online in all official languages.
TANIERIS DIEGUEZ LAO (Cuba), associating herself with the Non-Aligned Movement and CELAC, said the Special Committee’s mandate was especially important given attempts by some Member States to intervene in the affairs of others. The guiding role of the General Assembly as the principal body for norm setting, deliberations and adoption of policy must be preserved and strengthened. The Special Committee was the appropriate setting to discuss any amendments to the Charter. Recalling its last meeting, she said more than 120 States had supported many documents that had been put forth. Yet results had fallen “short of expectations”. Certain delegations had continued to block work, consequently making impossible the adoption of documents that would have strengthened the Organization’s role. Such had been the case with the Russian Federation’s proposal to amend the Handbook for the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes. There was a need to have an accurate and reliable record on the stances of Member States. As well, proposals should be discussed paragraph by paragraph in a substantive way, mirroring the current approach of the Organization in all other fora. A positive step this year was the meeting on the issue of sanctions where Member States could obtain “first-hand” information on that agenda item.
DMITRY SPRESOV (Belarus), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, expressed concern that the Special Committee had not even been able to pass the formal draft resolution on the seventieth anniversary of the Organization. Topics of international law required thorough and lengthy discussions after which decisions should be taken by consensus. The principle of consensus should not be abused and the Committee’s working methods regarding consensus should be studied. However, permanent discussion of its working methods would undermine its work. Substantive matters should take precedence over procedural ones. He drew attention to the proposals put forward by the Non-Aligned Movement and by Belarus with the Russian Federation, among others, noting that the only organ legally empowered to introduce sanctions was the Security Council. The time had come for the Special Committee to consider other subjects of international law as to their compatibility with the powers of the Council. Commending work on the Repertory and the Repertoire, he welcomed the input of academia and voiced support for digitizing the documents with the possibility of a full text search.
IDREES MOHAMMED ALI MOHAMMED SAEED (Sudan), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement and the African Group, said the Special Committee must play a key role in the reform of the United Nations. The General Assembly was worthy of its role in strengthening international peace and security. Its very nature made it more balanced and capable to address items on the agenda. Yet observation had shown that the Security Council was encroaching on the functions of the Assembly and Economic and Social Council by addressing issues that were in the mandate of those two other organs. The Security Council’s imposition of sanctions was of concern and demonstrated the need for an overhaul of its methods of work. Imposition of unilateral sanctions and use of force without an international mandate was a flagrant violation of norms of international law and the Charter’s principles. He encouraged support for the proposal made by the Non-Aligned Movement and those of States, such as Ghana, Cuba, Venezuela and the Russian Federation.
ALYA AHMED SAIF AL-THANI (Qatar), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said the Committee had played an important role in bringing forth proposals on improving the Organization’s work. The Charter had clearly defined the functions of the principal organs so as to strike a balance among them. The Council must not encroach on the purview of the Assembly or the Economic and Social Council. Emphasizing the importance of the peaceful settlement of disputes, he pointed out his country’s efforts to relieve tensions and avoid conflict in the region and expressed support for the resolution proposed by the Non-Aligned Movement on the matter. Sanctions should be imposed as a last resort after exhausting all other peaceful means and only in cases of real threats to peace. When they were imposed, it should be on legal, credible grounds and third States affected should receive assistance. While commending efforts to complete the work of the Repertory and the Repertoire, he stressed that the backlog must be overcome and noted the financial support that his country had provided for those publications.
ALINA JULIA ARGÜELLO GONZÁLEZ (Nicaragua), associating herself with the Non-Aligned Movement and CELAC, said that as a founding State of the Organization, her country was committed more than ever to supporting the Special Committee’s work and contributing substantively to its deliberations. The General Assembly continued to be the Organization’s universal and democratic body. She expressed concern that the Security Council had granted itself the ability to discuss matters not within its mandate, such as climate change. Her country had made use of means of peaceful settlement of disputes on many occasions, she said, noting the importance of the International Court of Justice in promoting global security. Thus, the item on the peaceful settlement of disputes must remain on the Special Committee’s agenda. Calls for the reduction in the frequency of the Special Committee’s working sessions were also of concern. Time allocated to that Committee was more necessary than ever. She said her delegation was committed to supporting initiatives that would reinvent and recast the Organization so that every Member State could work on equal footing and for the good of all.
MARTHA AMA AKYAA POBEE (Ghana), associating herself with the Non-Aligned Movement and the African Group, said her country’s proposal for a new topic entitled “Strengthening the Relationship and Cooperation between the United Nations and Regional Organizations/Arrangements in the Peaceful Settlement of Disputes” had been made with recognition of the work done on the subject elsewhere in the United Nations. However, given the significant role of regional organizations in promoting the rule of law, respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, as well as in the maintenance of peace and security, the Organization must improve coordination and cooperation in that regard. Ghana’s proposal focused on identifying the gaps and exploring institutional mechanisms to bring clarity to the relationship, thus forging strategic partnerships as well as more effective and timely interactions between the United Nations and regional organizations.
VIJILA SATHYANANTH (India), associating herself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said Article 50 of the Charter conferred the right on third States confronted with special economic problems because of Security Council sanctions, to consult the Council for solution to those problems. Therefore, Article 50 could not be considered as merely procedural. It obliged the Council to find definitive solution to the problems of the affected third States. The Council was obliged to focus on the direct effects on third States of any sanctions under Chapter VII of the Charter. It was also necessary to ensure timely and adequate assistance to the affected third States giving consideration to humanitarian aspects. In addition, the peaceful settlement of disputes between States should remain on the Special Committee’s agenda. The Special Committee should examine the proposal submitted by the Non-Aligned Movement and the concept paper presented by Ghana on the matter.
MEHDI REMAOUN (Algeria), associating himself with the African Group and the Non-Aligned Movement, stressed the important role of the Special Committee in the peaceful settlement of international disputes and reaffirmed the relevance of the Manila Declaration. He also highlighted the importance of the proposal and concept paper submitted by the Non-Aligned Movement and Ghana respectively. In addition, the Special Committee should continue to consider the question of assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions. The United Nations reform process would benefit from the activities of the Special Committee, particularly by creating an Open-ended Working Group to study the proper implementation of the Charter with respect to the functional relationship of its main organs. He said political will was needed to advance the long-standing issues included on the Special Committee’s agenda and supported the document on the “Full Validity of the Charter of the United Nations on its seventieth anniversary”.
PIMPIDA RAVIRAT THANARAT (Thailand), associating herself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said the Special Committee had successfully negotiated many important documents, such as the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes. The Special Committee’s role was even more relevant given today’s global environment. The time was “ripe and right” to revitalize and strengthen that Committee especially in light of the Charter’s seventieth anniversary. Initiatives towards that end included the possibility of appointing the Bureau three months prior to the meeting to provide it sufficient time to plan and prepare, as well as circulating documents to Member States for their review and consideration. Such initiatives would also allow the Committee to have more substantive debates, including examining both existing and new proposals from States. She expressed hope that the new proposal by the Non-Aligned Movement would be considered favourably by Member States.
ESSA A. E. ESSA (Libya), associating with the African Group and the Non-Aligned Movement, said that of the number of proposals his country had made the most important was its revised document relating to the imposition of sanctions. He reiterated the pressing need for the Committee to pursue its work effectively and called upon it to promote the General Assembly’s principal role. Regarding the Repertory and the Repertoire, he commended the reduction of backlog in both, stating his support to make them available online and ensure that they be available in all languages, including Arabic.
BELLO RINGIM (Nigeria), associating with the African Group, pointed out that almost all existing sanctions were against nations belonging to the African Union, the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Sanctions should be used only as a last resort, after all other peaceful means of settling disputes had been exhausted, and to extract compliance with international obligations. Among other things, the Special Committee should consider deliberating on the legality of unilateral sanctions. There was also an increasing tendency in the United Nations to attribute a legal standing to so-called “sexual orientation and gender identity”. That concept was not defined in international law and had no basis in the corpus of international human rights law. Member States had no obligation to make laws that would provide individuals or groups any special considerations based on their sexual preferences, tendencies or behaviours. Although an “insignificant number” of Member States had recognized the notion of sexual orientation and gender identity that did not make it a universally accepted notion. He called upon the United Nations to refrain from further entrenchment of that notion and to retreat from its current posture of support.
KOUSSAY ABDULJABBAR ALDAHHAK (Syria), associating himself with the Non-Aligned Movement, said, among other things, that certain Governments continued to violate the Charter by interfering in the internal affairs of Syria, hindering its efforts to find a political solution, bringing harm to all Syrians and sending terrorists from all corners of the globe to his country. Yet, there had been no collective appeal from the United Nations to call upon those Governments to stop violating the Charter or for the Heads of those Governments to answer for their actions. He further decried the treatment of Syrian refugees and condemned hegemony, selectivity and double standards adopted by some influential States. Confirming the need for peaceful settlement of disputes, he said that he supported the proposals of the Non-Aligned Movement and the joint proposal by the Russian Federation and Belarus. He also underscored that he looked forward to genuine reform of the Organization so that it would implement the Charter and work towards the objectives of the United Nations rather than those of a few States.
RUBÉN IGNACIO ZAMORA RIVAS (El Salvador), associating himself with CELAC, said the Manila Declaration and the model rules for dispute settlement were examples of what could be achieved in that Committee. There were many items on which the Special Committee could make real progress, including, among others, the rules governing the negotiations on the recent restructuring of sovereign debt and maintenance of international peace and security. Those were not just minor issues, but issues of particular relevance given the problems facing the international community. He thanked the Secretariat for its work in updating the Repertory and Repertoire, both of which were valuable documents for the study of international law. It was necessary to examine the Special Committee’s working methods; revitalization of its work would yield widely accepted results and ensure its greater stability over the long term. That meant moving beyond a debate on how often it should meet and focusing on where the Special Committee could make a real change, such as in revising the process of selection of new subjects and clarifying the objectives of each subject.
JOHN ARBOGAST (United States) urged the Special Committee to remain focused on ways to improve its efficiency and productivity and not pursue agenda items concerning international peace and security, as that would be duplicative or inconsistent with the roles of the principal organs. In the area of sanctions, he noted positive developments elsewhere in the Organization and said it was no longer necessary to consider measures of assistance to third States affected by sanctions. On a positive note, he cited a compromise position reflected in the Assembly’s resolution 69/122 on the Charter Committee, stating that the topic should be considered in an appropriate manner and framework, including “the frequency of its consideration”. He proposed triennial consideration of the topic. Stating he did not support the proposal to request an advisory opinion on the use of force from the International Court of Justice, he also expressed caution about adding new items to the Special Committee’s agenda. Those should be practical, non-political and not duplicate efforts elsewhere in the United Nations system. Thus, if Ghana’s proposal on strengthening peacebuilding and related cooperation between the United Nations and regional organizations could help fill gaps it should be seriously considered.