As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded Cluster 1 from the International Law Commission’s report, delegates weighed in on the draft conclusions, “Protection of the environment in relations to armed conflict”, commending the work accomplished on the topic and providing additional suggestions of provisions that could be included in the texts.
Delegates wrestled with the duality inherent in the concept of peremptory norms of general international law (jus cogens) ‑ which are a category of principles that, while cardinal to international law in theory, have proved elusive to identify in practice ‑ as the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its discussion of the first cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s report today.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its consideration of the International Law Commission report today, speakers tackled the first of three clusters of topics, including the chapters on “Peremptory norms of general international law (jus cogens)”, “Protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts”, “Introductory Chapters” and “Other decisions and conclusions of the Commission”.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded its debate on the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law, representatives of African States highlighted the impact that the Programme has had on the continent through its trainings to individuals, as well as its contribution to the development of international law and promotion of the rule of law at the national and international levels. (For background, see Press Release GA/L/3667.)
Reviewing the activities of the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law, Sixth Committee speakers debated the effective use of remote education and the advantages of in-person trainings, while also calling attention to gender balance, equitable geographical representation and multilingualism in the Programme’s endeavours.
Spotlighting the significant effects of transboundary hazardous activities, Sixth Committee (Legal) delegates debated the necessity of developing an international legal framework based on the draft texts on the prevention of transboundary harm from hazardous activities and the allocation of loss in the case of such harm, or keeping those texts as non-binding measures that provide standards of conduct for States.
Ensuring the safety and security of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives is crucial for international relations to function, speakers stressed today in the Sixth Committee (Legal), as they contrasted national endeavours with examples of inadequate responses to violations committed against such personnel in receiving States.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today took up the annual report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), speakers highlighted progress made in the development of trade law, including a draft convention on the judicial sale of ships, a model law on identity management and work on the reform of investor-State dispute settlement.
Delegates alternately urged action and caution as they took up the International Law Commission’s draft articles on State responsibility for internationally wrongful acts in the Sixth Committee (Legal) today, highlighting the ongoing stalemate in the Committee’s consideration of a product that has shaped international jurisprudence over the last 20 years.
Growing disparity between international standards and reality on the ground is generating mistrust between peoples and communities, experts told the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today, as delegates expressed grave concern over the human rights situations in Ukraine, China, Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Iran, Syria and Yemen.
