As the Sixth Committee (Legal) today took up the topic expulsion of aliens, speakers debated the appropriate outcome of the International Law Commission’s draft articles, with many pointing to a required balance between State’s sovereign right to expel a person and protection of that person’s human rights, including the principle of non-refoulement.
Sixth Committee
The Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its discussion of the third cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s annual report today, as delegates debated the weight that should be accorded to the decisions of international courts and tribunals in the context of the body’s work on “Subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law”.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded its review of the second cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s annual report, many speakers underscored the need for developing clear definitions of concepts and terms in both the settlement of disputes to which international organizations are parties and the prevention and repression of piracy and armed robbery at sea.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) concluded its review of the first cluster of topics from the International Law Commission’s annual report, many speakers highlighted the need for an international framework that protects States from being threatened by sea-level rise, especially in light of how climate change was not on the horizon when the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was put into force.
The Sixth Committee (Legal) welcomed the outgoing President of the International Court of Justice today according to its annual tradition, who reflected on the future of the Court where she has served for over 13 years.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continue reviewing the first cluster of the International Law Commission’s annual report, many speakers addressed the juridical nature of general principles of law and its distinction within the international legal system and rules of customary law.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) began its consideration of the International Law Commission report today, speakers took up the first of three clusters of topics, including the chapters on “General principles of law”, “Sea-level rise in relation to international law” and “Other decisions and conclusions of the Commission”, while also discussing the Commission’s approach and working methods.
Enhanced understanding of international law facilitates greater inclusion in global decision-making and fosters cooperation among those seeking such knowledge, speakers said today in the Sixth Committee (Legal), as they praised the United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law.
Taking up the agenda item on the responsibility of international organizations, speakers in the Sixth Committee (Legal) were divided about the future of the related International Law Commission’s draft articles, debating whether to codify those texts into an international instrument, keep the topic on the Committee’s agenda or utilize the drafts as guidelines.
As the Sixth Committee (Legal) continued its consideration of the rule of law at the national and international levels, speakers underscored their countries’ sovereign right to decide on their national legal system, while others stressed the necessity to ensure full respect for international law through domestic legal frameworks. (For background, see Press Release GA/L/3694.)