Sixth Committee (Legal) — 80th session
Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization (Agenda item 83)
- Authority: resolution 79/125
- List of speakers
Documentation
- A/80/33 — Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization
- A/80/151 — Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations related to assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions
- A/80/210 — Report of the Secretary-General on the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council
- A/C.6/80/L.17 — Draft resolution
Summary of work
Background (source: A/80/100)
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 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).
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. The Assembly also decided to include in the provisional agenda of its thirtieth session an item entitled “Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Charter of the United Nations” (resolution 3349 (XXIX)).
At its thirtieth session, under the items entitled “Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Charter of the United Nations” and “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”, 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. The Assembly also decided to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-first session an item entitled “Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization” (resolution 3499 (XXX)).
At its seventy-eighth and seventy-ninth sessions, the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit to it at its eightieth session a report on both the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council and a report on the implementation of the provisions of the Charter related to assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions (resolutions 78/111 and 79/125).
At its seventy-ninth session, the Assembly decided that the Special Committee should hold its next session from 18 to 26 February 2025 and requested the Special Committee to submit a report on its work to the Assembly at its eightieth session (resolution 79/125).
The Special Committee met at United Nations Headquarters from 18 to 26 February 2025 and adopted its report (A/80/33).
Consideration at the eightieth session
The Sixth Committee considered the item at its 19th, 20th and 38th meetings, on 17 and 20 October and 21 November 2025, respectively (see A/C.6/80/SR.19, 20 and 38).
The Chair of the 2025 session of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization introduced the report of the Special Committee.
The Chief of the Security Council Practices and Charter Research Branch of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs made a statement on the status of the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council.
The Director of the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs made a statement on the status of the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs.
Statements were made by the representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement), Cameroon (on behalf of the African Group), the European Union (also on behalf of its Member States (the candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Geogia, as well as Monaco aligned themselves with the statement)), the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (on behalf of the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations), Mexico (on behalf of Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Lebanon, Portugal, Slovenia and South Africa), the Republic of Moldova (on behalf of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia), the Republic of Korea, India, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Russian Federation, Brazil, Zambia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Oman (on behalf of the Arab Group), the United States of America, Burkina Faso, Mexico, Qatar, El Salvador, Algeria, Nicaragua, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Syrian Arab Republic, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, the observer of the Observer State of Palestine, and the representatives of Sudan, Peru, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Costa Rica, China, Gabon and Lebanon.
The representatives of Israel, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Oman (on behalf of the Arab Group), the observer of the Observer State of Palestine, and the representative of Lebanon spoke in the exercise of the right of reply.
Several delegations emphasized the importance of the work of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization. Some delegations welcomed the successful adoption of the report of the Special Committee this year, after having failed to reach consensus for three consecutive years. Relatedly, several delegations raised concerns about the politicization of the work of the Special Committee.
Several delegations called for a comprehensive reform of the Organization, particularly the Security Council. Some delegations also called for reforms of the international financial architecture.
In the context of the maintenance of international peace and security, several delegations expressed concern over sanctions imposed by the Security Council, underscoring that they should be employed only as a last resort and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other rules of international law, in particular international humanitarian law and international human rights law. In that regard, the view was expressed that the objectives of sanctions should be clearly defined and that sanctions should be limited to a specified timeframe, with clear conditions for the imposition and lifting of sanctions and subject to periodical review. Some delegations reiterated the importance of considering humanitarian and socio-economic consequences for affected States and civilian populations when designing sanctions regimes. The need for transparency, proportionality and due process was also stressed. Several delegations also voiced concern about the use of unilateral coercive measures. According to other views, targeted sanctions were an appropriate and legitimate tool of foreign policy, enabling States to address threats to national security and issues of international concern.
The relevance of the document "Introduction and implementation of sanctions imposed by the United Nations” annexed to General Assembly resolution 64/115 of 16 December 2009 was reiterated. Delegations welcomed the annual briefings by the Secretariat on this document. At the same time, the Secretariat was requested to develop its capacity on the proper assessment of the unintended side effects of sanctions, including on the methodology used for the assessment of the humanitarian implications of sanctions. Some delegations encouraged the Special Committee to intensify its efforts to examine proposals of Member States with a view to strengthening the Charter and reinforcing the role of the United Nations. Some delegations expressed concern over the reluctance of some Member States to engage in meaningful discussion on these proposals.
Several delegations reiterated their commitment to the peaceful settlement of disputes. In this regard, the vital role of the International Court of Justice was highlighted, and the importance of ensuring respect of and compliance with its decisions was emphasized. Several delegations recognized the significance of the Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes of 1982. Some delegations also stressed the importance of dialogue and preventive diplomacy.
Delegations also highlighted the importance of the annual thematic debate on the means for the settlement of disputes, and welcomed the opportunity to discuss in the 2026 session of the Special Committee the subtopic “Exchange of information on State practices regarding the use of adaptation or combination of traditional means”.
Delegations expressed appreciation for the progress made by the Secretariat in the preparation of the Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council and for its efforts to reduce the backlog. Some delegations called for further efforts to eliminate the Repertory backlog. The Secretariat was also encouraged to continue its efforts in making these tools widely accessible online and to support full multilingual publications .
Delegations were encouraged to engage in meaningful and productive discussion on all items and proposals on the agenda of the Special Committee, including on the improvement of the Committee’s working methods. It was suggested that Member States should demonstrate a spirit of compromise, while also taking into account the topic’s practical relevance and potential duplication.
Archived videos and summaries of plenary meetings
19th meeting (17 October 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
20th meeting (20 October 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
38th meeting (21 November 2025, 10:30am – 1:00pm) | Summary
Action taken by the Sixth Committee
At the 38th meeting, on 21 November 2025, the representative of Egypt, on behalf of the Bureau, introduced draft resolution A/C.6/80/L.17, entitled “Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization”.
At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.6/80/L.17, without a vote.
Under the terms of draft resolution A/C.6/80/L.17, the Assembly would, inter alia, request the Special Committee to continue its consideration of the questions of the maintenance of international peace and security, to keep on its agenda the question of the peaceful settlement of disputes between States and to consider any proposal referred by the General Assembly in the implementation of the decisions of the high-level plenary meeting of the sixtieth session of the Assembly that concern the Charter and any amendments thereto. Moreover, it would decide to undertake an annual thematic debate in the Special Committee to discuss the means for the settlement of disputes, and invite Member States to focus their comments at the next session of the Special Committee on the subtopic “Exchange of information on State practices regarding the use of adaptation or combination of traditional means”.
Subsequent action taken by the General Assembly
- Report of the Sixth Committee: A/80/453
- GA resolution: 80/166
This agenda item will be considered at the eighty-first session (2026).
