Speakers Highlight Missions’ Continued Problems with Host Country, Debate Use of Sanctions, as Sixth Committee Takes Up Related Reports
Delegates of the Sixth Committee (Legal), concluding their consideration on diplomatic protection, today discussed a wide variety of issues ranging from challenges arising from their relations with the host country, along with its related report, to deliberating the use of sanctions as a tool for maintaining international peace and security under the Charter of the United Nations, following the Special Committee on the Charter’s presentation of its report.
Consideration of effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives
“Diplomatic and consular missions discharge a very sensitive and high responsibility of promoting exchange of views among nations,” said India’s representative. The receiving State must not only restrain its behaviour and not infringe upon the immunities of diplomatic missions, but also prevent them, within its territory, from being infringed upon by third parties, she added.
Building on that, the representative of the United Arab Emirates observed that the obligation to protect diplomatic missions continues even during armed conflict. States must adopt preventive measures and uphold accountability, she stressed, adding that receiving States must undertake investigations of the acts of violence. Further, she condemned the targeting of the residence of her country’s Head of Mission by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The representative of Sudan, responding, pointed out that this information “has no foundation of truth”. Showing an image of the respective Embassy premises being “intact”, he stressed: “We continue to fulfil our obligations.” Noting that the Rapid Support Forces have attacked more than 140 missions in Sudan, he said that the United Arab Emirates “have not condemned many acts that they should have”. Furthermore, that country’s Embassy has been relocated to Port-Sudan, he reported.
Report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country
Introducing the 2024 report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country (document A/79/26), the representative of Cyprus in her capacity as that Committee’s Chair, noted that since its establishment in 1971, the Committee remains “an open, transparent and flexible body”. During the reporting period, it held five meetings and discussed issues important to the UN membership. The report emphasized the need to expeditiously solve problems to ensure the normal functioning of accredited missions.
She also noted that the report contains Member States’ concerns regarding inappropriate treatment and screening of certain high-ranking officials by the host country’s Customs and Border Protection officers and requested the host country to prevent any afront to the dignity and honour of Member States’ representatives. It also expressed concern regarding multiple cases of denial or non-issuance of entry visas, including to a high-ranking official participating in the General Assembly’s general debate.
Recognizing that the Committee continued to grapple with the differing views as to whether the host country made progress in the context of its recommendations and conclusions adopted in 2023, she added: “I wish to reiterate my personal commitment to help address all outstanding issues in a spirit of compromise.”
The representative of Venezuela, speaking for the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter, said that the challenges on the Headquarters Agreement’s implementation have resulted in “deliberate obstacles” that limit Member States’ ability to discharge their responsibilities. “It is not only an abuse by the host country of its role, but also a flagrant violation of the UN Charter,” she stressed. Any bilateral difference that may exist between the host country and other States should not lead to selectivity, she emphasized, noting that the arbitration procedure under article 21 of that Agreement “appears to be the only way to ensure both its integrity and the end of selective policies”.
Syria’s delegate concurred, underscoring that invoking arbitration as per article 21 is the only means to guarantee Member States’ rights and end the selective practices. The United States, as a host country, “imposes whatever measures as they please” against the delegations hosted at Headquarters. “This continued situation of discrimination has become unacceptable,” she declared, highlighting visa-related issues. While the Committee has proven its effectiveness in resolving some cases, many other cases remain unresolved.
The representative of China said that visa and travel-restriction issues “remain unresolved”, adding: “We hope that the host country authorities will take seriously the legitimate demands of Member States.” Recalling that the United States hosted the tenth Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption in December 2023, she said that the imposed travel restrictions on representatives from China and some other countries seriously disrupted their participation.
Year after year the very same delegations talk about the same problems that are not resolved, observed the Russian Federation’s representative. For five years the Committee and the General Assembly have been urging the Secretary-General to initiate arbitration proceedings between the UN and the United States. Highlighting the “unlawful attempt” to invoke article 13 of the Agreement pertaining to his country’s staff member — Andrey Kovalenko — accused of espionage, he called it “a baseless accusation”. Furthermore, the Committee was not “even” able to “factologically” reflect a number of serious and gross violations, he said.
“The United States takes great pride in serving as the host country,” said its representative, noting that the Host Country Section works “countless hours” to assist missions. “We strive to improve processes, respond efficiently to questions and resolve outstanding issues,” she added, reporting that 99 per cent of visas were issued for the General Assembly’s high-level week. Highlighting the improvements of the visa-related procedures and more resources devoted to visa processing, she emphasized: “We do not take our responsibilities lightly.”
Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization
The representative of Germany, Chair of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization, introducing the report (document A/79/33), said that, following the Committee’s meeting in New York in February, it adopted one chapter containing 15 procedural paragraphs. Although the recommendations made during the session on the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council were not adopted, they enjoyed general agreement.
Therefore, he recommended the Sixth Committee to retain its previous recommendations made to the General Assembly in 2023. Provided that the Committee did not make any recommendation on the subtopic of the 2025 annual debate under “Peaceful settlement of disputes”, the subtopic for the 2025 thematic debate would be “Exchange of information on State practices regarding the use of procedures envisaged in the Charter and other international instruments”.
Ahmed Ghanem-Ali, Chief of the Security Council Practices and Charter Research Branch, said that seven of ten parts of the twenty-sixth Supplement of the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council have been completed and the remaining chapters will be finalized in November. “The work on the twenty-seventh Supplement is well underway,” he added, reporting that editing and translation of prior editions have also been on schedule. Noting that the Branch has prioritized innovation in presenting information, while also enhancing data collection and analysis, he said that in July the Security Council Affairs Division launched a new, modernized website.
Arnold Pronto, Director of the Codification Division, detailing the new studies prepared during the period under review, called on delegations to contribute to the trust fund of the Repertory — an indispensable tool for progressing on the publication. Reporting that the Fund’s available balance was $89,262 on 30 June, he stated: “I would finally renew my appeal to delegations to raise the interest of academic institutions in their countries or regions to participate in the preparation of studies for the Repertory.”
This Committee has always been important for the “non-negotiable” transformation of the UN to refashion and democratize its organs, Nicaragua’s representative stated, stressing that only with genuine multilateralism and stringent adherence to the Charter of the UN, States can counter the impacts of unilateral restrictions. Despite multiple aggressions, this era is birthing a more democratic multipolar world that stands in solidarity with people struggling against new and old forms of colonial, neocolonial and imperialist domination, she added.
Similarly, the representative of Oman underscored that respect for the Charter of the United Nations can only be achieved if Member States commit to its goals without “selectivity” or “double-standards approaches”. Nigeria’s delegate, for her part, observing that sanctions should be imposed in conformity with the Charter, stressed that these measures should only be used as a last resort. “The purpose of any sanction imposed on a country should not be to punish the population, but rather to extract compliance with international obligation,” she said.
Offering a contrasting perspective, the representative of Ukraine, also speaking for Georgia and Moldova, observed that, for the third year in a row, the Special Charter Committee was unable to adopt a significant portion of the report because “a single delegation” refused to incorporate key elements of the debate. Such “obstructive behaviour” stands in direct contravention of good faith negotiations. Recalling that at the start of the full-scale invasion, the Russian Federation presided over the Security Council, he spotlighted the challenges in enforcing the Charter.
“If we keep failing to agree on any meaningful progress, it could lead to an erosion of confidence in the Committee,” said the representative of the Republic of Korea, expressing disappointment that despite the progress achieved in some areas, the Charter Committee concluded its work without a substantive report. Additionally, she stressed that UN sanctions “remain a key tool under the Charter to preserve the maintenance of international peace and security”.
Nonetheless, the delegate for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea emphasized that the Special Charter Committee should take concrete action-oriented measures to reject arbitrariness and unilateralism. He also observed that, today, efforts to develop friendly relations among countries based on equality and self-determination are faced with serious challenges due to hegemonic acts of “some forces by changing the alleged rules-based international order”.