Taking up the report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) today, speakers in the Sixth Committee (Legal) welcomed the Commission’s efforts to develop, harmonize and modernize international trade law and to build States’ capacity to participate in an increasingly digitized global system of commerce comprised of increasingly interdependent national economies.
Continuing their consideration of crimes against humanity, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates today debated whether to commence negotiations towards a legally binding international instrument based on the International Law Commission’s draft articles on the prevention and punishment of such crimes, with many ready to do so even as some expressed reservations and noted a continuing divergence of views.
The Sixth Committee on Legal Affairs began its debate on crimes against humanity Wednesday, 9 October, in the afternoon, half a day ahead of the announced programme of work.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today concluded its debate on the topic of the protection of persons in the event of disasters, speakers shared their national practices in managing the aftermath of such events, with many calling for the International Law Commission’s draft articles to be used as guidelines, while others underscored the importance of an international legal document to expedite disaster aid and assistance.
Amidst ever-more-frequent wildfires, drought, cyclones, flooding, hurricanes and other hazards, the Sixth Committee (Legal) today deliberated over the International Law Commission’s draft articles on the protection of persons in the event of disasters as delegates discussed States’ obligations to their citizens and to each other in the wake of the devastation caused by these events.
Continuing its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism, Sixth Committee (Legal) speakers expressed concerns over the threats posed by the scourge in the Sahel region and the evolution of new and emerging terrorist threats, while others stressed that terrorism should not be a pretext to interfere in domestic affairs of States.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism at the first meeting of its seventy-ninth session today, speakers grappled with how to effectively marshal national and regional efforts and engage international law to address this phenomenon in a world that looks far different than the one they confronted one year ago.
World leaders today adopted a Pact for the Future that includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) elected Rui Vinhas (Portugal) Chair on 6 June.
The international community reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the multilateral treaty framework by undertaking a total of 32 actions at the annual treaty event which ended today, on the sidelines of the seventy-ninth United Nations General Assembly high-level week.
