As the Sixth Committee (Legal) commenced today its consideration of the rule of law at the national and international levels and the Secretary-General’s report on the matter, delegates discussed the use of technology to advance access to justice for all, while also underscoring the importance of proper control and accountability to ensure human rights are respected.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the annual report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) today, as speakers spotlighted how the Commission’s work over its past session — both in methodology and substance — has benefitted developing countries while aiming to harmonize and modernize international trade law.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) commenced its consideration of the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction today, the debate revealed a rift in speakers’ understanding of its interaction with national legal frameworks and the possible risk that the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes might escape justice.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded today its deliberations of crimes against humanity, speakers spotlighted the need for a universal instrument on preventing and punishing those crimes in the midst of geopolitical confrontations, including the recent violence between Hamas and Israel, while also welcoming further constructive discussions during the second resumed session in April 2024.
Positive developments in the formal and informal systems for resolving workplace disputes within the Organization over the past year must be joined by further improvements, speakers stressed as the Sixth Committee (Legal) today considered the administration of justice at the United Nations.
Speakers underscored the importance of upholding the Organization’s reputation by ensuring United Nations officials and experts are held accountable for crimes committed when on mission, while also highlighting the need for predeployment training and victim-centred approaches, as the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the Secretary-General’s reports on the matter.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded today its debate on the protection of persons in the event of disasters, speakers emphasized that no nation can meet the challenges caused by natural hazards alone, underscoring the importance of external assistance in humanitarian relief and calling for a development of a new treaty based on the International Law Commission’s draft articles.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today began consideration of the International Law Commission’s draft articles on the protection of persons in the event of disasters, speakers diverged over whether that product appropriately balanced the need to protect the rights of those affected by a disaster against those of the State in which it occurred, and if an international legal framework should be elaborated based on those texts.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its debate on measures to eliminate international terrorism today, delegates detailed national, regional and worldwide efforts to combat the constantly evolving scourge in the absence of both an internationally agreed-upon definition and a comprehensive convention.
Convening its first meeting of the seventy-eighth session today, the Sixth Committee (Legal) took up the Secretary-General’s report on measures to eliminate international terrorism, with delegates investigating the scourge’s emerging trends and underscoring both the importance of agreeing on a legal definition and developing a comprehensive convention on combating the menace.
