Sixth Committee (Legal) — 79th session
Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization (Provisional agenda item 83)
- Authority: resolution 78/111
Documentation
- A/79/33 — Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization
Summary of work
Background (source: A/79/100)
The item entitled “Need to consider suggestions regarding the review of the Charter of the United Nations” was included in the agenda of the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly at the request of Colombia (A/7659). The Assembly had the item on its agenda biennially at its twenty-fifth to twenty-ninth sessions (resolutions 2697 (XXV), 2968 (XXVII) and 3349 (XXIX)).
At its twenty-ninth session, under the item entitled “Need to consider suggestions regarding the review of the Charter of the United Nations”, the Assembly decided to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on the Charter of the United Nations to consider any specific proposals that Governments might make with a view to enhancing the ability of the United Nations to achieve its purposes, as well as other suggestions for the more effective functioning of the United Nations that might not require amendments to the Charter (resolution 3349 (XXIX)).
The item entitled “Strengthening of the role of the United Nations with regard to the maintenance and consolidation of international peace and security, the development of cooperation among all nations and the promotion of the rules of international law in relations between States” was included in the agenda of the twenty-seventh session of the Assembly at the request of Romania (A/8792). The Assembly had the item on its agenda annually at its twenty-seventh to twenty-ninth sessions (resolutions 2925 (XXVII), 3073 (XXVIII) and 3282 (XXIX)).
At its thirtieth session, under the item “Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization”, the Assembly decided to reconvene the Ad Hoc Committee on the Charter of the United Nations as the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization to examine suggestions and proposals regarding the Charter and the strengthening of the role of the United Nations with regard to the maintenance and consolidation of international peace and security, the development of cooperation among all nations and the promotion of the rules of international law. The Assembly also decided that the Special Committee should submit an annual report to the Assembly (resolution 3499 (XXX)).
The Assembly has had the item entitled “Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization” on its agenda annually since its thirty-first session (resolutions 31/28, 32/45, 33/94, 34/147, 35/164, 36/122, 36/123, 37/114, 38/141, 39/88 A and B, 40/78, 41/83, 42/157, 43/51, 43/170, 44/37, 45/44, 45/45, 46/58, 46/59, 47/38, 48/36, 49/57, 49/58, 50/50 to 50/52, 51/208, 51/209, 52/161 to 52/163, 53/106, 53/107, 54/106 to 54/108, 55/156, 55/157, 56/86, 56/87, 57/24 to 57/26, 58/80, 58/248, 59/44, 59/45, 60/23, 61/37, 61/38, 62/69, 63/127, 64/115, 65/31, 66/101, 67/95, 67/96, 68/115, 69/122, 70/117, 71/146, 71/147, 72/118, 73/206, 74/190, 75/140, 76/115, 76/116, 77/109 and 78/111).
At its seventy-eighth session, the Assembly allocated the item to the Sixth Committee, where statements in the debate were made by 32 delegations (see A/C.6/78/SR.22, 33 and 34) The Assembly decided that the Special Committee would hold its next session from 20 to 28 February 2024 and requested the Special Committee to submit a report on its work to the Assembly at its seventy-ninth session. The Assembly also requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its seventy-ninth session a report on both the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council (resolution 78/111).
The Special Committee met at United Nations Headquarters from 20 to 28 February 2024 and adopted its report (A/79/33).
