Legal

In a brief plenary meeting today, the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization elected Marcel Van den Bogaard ( Netherlands), from the Western European States Group, as Vice-President of its 2013 session, concluding the election of its bureau members.

The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization lacked the political will to review the proposals for bolstering the world body’s role in maintaining peace and security, thereby jeopardizing its ability to carry out its mandate, several delegates said today, as it moved into day two of the annual session.

The Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization opened its 2013 session today, as delegates wrestled with ways to improve its efficiency and productivity, including by re-evaluating which Government proposals for organizational reform it should — and should not — consider.

Upholding its tradition of consensus, the Sixth (Legal) Committee concluded its current session by approving one request for observer status by the European Organization for Nuclear Research and 11 draft resolutions, including the text on the revitalization of the General Assembly.

Despite the recent hurricane that had shut down the United Nations’ Headquarters for three consecutive days, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates noted the successful finalization of work on almost a dozen draft resolutions, as well as the thorough consideration of two topics within their working groups.

During the Sixth Committee’s (Legal) final debate on the International Law Commission’s annual report, delegates urged the Geneva-based body to diligently study State practice and, where possible, arrive at international rules of customary law to rectify the divergent views on several pressing issues before the Commission.

The three categories of high-ranking officials who were traditionally granted immunity from foreign criminal jurisdiction should be expanded to include other senior representatives carrying out essential State functions, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates said today, as the debate on the International Law Commission’s annual report continued.

In the ravaged wake of a hurricane that pummelled the United States east coast this week, the relevant issue of protecting people during disasters required fine-tuned approaches that would ensure assistance reached those who needed it, stated members of the Sixth Committee (Legal) today, as the debate on the Geneva-based International Law Commission’s annual report continued.

The International Law Commission had made “considerable” progress in its agenda, having, among other things, adopted 32 draft articles and accompanying commentaries on the expulsion of aliens, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today as it began its review of the Geneva-based legal body’s annual report.

Calling attention to the surge of attacks on diplomatic and consular officials in recent years, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates called on States to preserve diplomacy and friendly State relations by fulfilling their legal obligations to protect such officials.