The subject of the environment dominated the Sixth Committee (Legal) debate today with speakers discussing the ongoing degradation of the atmosphere and the gaps and discrepancies in international law when protecting the environment during occupation, as review of the second cluster of topics of the International Law Commission’s annual report concluded and review of the third cluster began.
Because the International Court of Justice is adjudicating more cases related to scientific and technological advances, the Court is able to guarantee its competency addressing such expanded and diverse disputes through the engagement of outside experts as established by its founding Statute, the President of that body told the Sixth Committee (Legal) today during his annual visit.
Environmental concerns were in the foreground of the Sixth Committee (Legal) debate today, as delegates concluded consideration of the first cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s annual report and took up the second cluster, including jus cogens and the provisional application of treaties.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of the International Law Commission’s annual report, delegates shared their views on both the practical nature of the tools provided by the Commission for the identification of customary international law, as well as that body’s plans to expand their programme of work to address contemporary concerns.
Continuing its consideration of the report of the International Law Commission today, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates critiqued the Commission’s working methods while parsing the nuances in draft conclusions that had been adopted on the first cluster of topics under discussion.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the report of the International Law Commission, speakers tackled the first of three clusters of topics, commending progress made while highlighting the working methods of the Commission and underscoring the importance of including the international legal implications of sea‑level rise in its future programme of work.
With the increasing complexity of international law and a growing need for legal education, the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law – funded by the United Nations regular budget - was fulfilling its important mandate by offering high‑quality legal training through its Regional Courses, publications and the Audiovisual Library, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today as it began its consideration of the Programme.
Protection of diplomatic and consular representatives — as well as the security and inviolability of diplomatic and consular missions, their archives, documents and communications — is one of the pillars upon which international relations rests, speakers stressed while voicing concern at rising attacks on missions and personnel around the world, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the matter today.
As international and non-international armed conflict becomes more complex, the universal ratification of the three Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions remains vital for the promotion of international humanitarian law, the Sixth Committee (Legal) heard today.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) today, with delegates commending the progress of the various Working Groups and highlighting the finalization and adoption of a number of important legal texts.
