Sixth Committee

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.

As the nature of armed conflicts continued to transform, international humanitarian law should serve as the bedrock for protecting the victims of conflict and returning to peace, said Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates. In today’s debate on the Geneva Conventions and their Protocols, El Salvador’s representative said that international humanitarian law could no longer be an unattainable goal.

The Sixth Committee (Legal) met this morning to consider an oral report by the Coordinator of the informal consultations on the administration of justice at the United Nations. Thomas Fitschen (Germany) gave a comprehensive review of the informal meetings, held 15, 16 and 18 October. He noted that the Secretariat had already responded to a number of questions that had arisen during the consultations, thus allowing for the timely conclusion of work on the topic.

Although universal jurisdiction served to fight impunity, it should only be used in exceptional circumstances when other means of justice had been exhausted, delegates told the Sixth Committee (Legal) today as it concluded its debate on the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction.

Asserting that the Sixth Committee (Legal) was the frontline guardian of the Organization’s Charter, Vuk Jeremić, President of the General Assembly, told its delegates today that international law was the backbone of effective multilateral relations.