As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of the first cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s report today, delegates, tackling “Provisional application of treaties,” highlighted the complex process of incorporating international treaty obligations into national law in the uncertain context of applying such instruments provisionally. (For background, see Press Release GA/L/3643.)
Delegates addressing the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) today urged the administering Powers of the world’s 17 remaining Non-Self-Governing Territories to complete the longstanding decolonization process, with speakers also citing a range of additional territorial disputes, as members continued their general debate.
Opening International Law Week today, the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its consideration of the International Law Commission’s report, with delegates analysing the draft articles and guidelines on various topics, while calling for more inclusivity in the Commission’s composition and working methods.
The General Assembly today adopted a resolution that offers the global community a blueprint to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by tapping into the data, technology, innovative products and other tools gained through space exploration.
Special Rapporteurs presenting reports on the human rights situations in Belarus, Iran, Syria, Somalia, Eritrea, and the occupied Palestinian territories invited Governments to show political determination, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its interactive dialogues on human rights today.
The Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) today took up the Secretary‑General’s request for $730.7 million to fund 38 special political missions in 2022, with several delegations renewing calls for a separate budget to be established to address their requirements.
Delegates in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today demanded freedom from unsustainable debt financing terms, as they tackled a range of areas in which human rights must be at the heart of efforts to create a more just world, from addressing discrimination against people with albinism to alleviating food shortages in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Emphasizing the need to bridge the technological divide between developed and developing countries in the peaceful uses of outer space, delegates called for more capacity‑building activities and technology sharing in that arena, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its general debate today.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded its debate on the scope and application of universal jurisdiction today, delegates wrestled with the challenging balance between State sovereignty — along with the primacy of national jurisdiction in prosecuting serious international crimes — and ensuring perpetrators of heinous crimes do not enjoy impunity.
While commending the flexibility with which the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law responded to the COVID‑19 pandemic, speakers in the Sixth Committee (Legal) urged the Programme to incorporate more diversity — including different regions and legal systems — into its educational offerings, and called for the return of the in‑person trainings that foster deep bonds among the international legal community.
