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STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR BURHAN GAFOOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, TO INTRODUCE DRAFT RESOLUTION A/79/L.55, AGREEMENT UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA ON THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF AREAS BEYOND NATIONAL JURISDICTION, UNDER AGENDA ITEM 75(C), ON THE AGREEMENT UNDER THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA ON THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF MARINE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF AREAS BEYOND NATIONAL JURISDICTION, GENERAL ASSEMBLY, NEW YORK, 4 MARCH 2025

4 March 2025

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Mr. President,

Distinguished Delegates,

         I have the honour to present the reports of the Sixth Committee on its work during the seventy-ninth session of the General Assembly. The Assembly allocated to the Committee 25 substantive and three procedural agenda items.  With the exception of the item relating to the election of officers, all those agenda items fall under three of the headings corresponding to the priorities of the Organization, namely: “Promotion of justice and international law”; “Drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”; and “Organizational, administrative and other matters”.

I will introduce the reports of the Sixth Committee on the various agenda items in the order in which they fall under those three headings.

Mr. President,

         Under the heading, “Promotion of justice and international law”, the Sixth Committee considered 11 agenda items and adopted 13 draft resolutions recommended to the General Assembly for adoption.

I first invite the Assembly to consider agenda item 76, “Criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission”.  Document A/79/466 contains the report on this agenda item, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 10 thereof. Under the draft resolution, the Assembly would affirm and elaborate on the various measures aimed at ensuring the criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission and set out a variety of mechanisms intended to increase and enhance the information enabling Member States to address the topic.

The report on agenda item 77, “Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the work of its fifty-seventh session”, is contained in document A/79/467.  The Sixth Committee recommended three draft resolutions for adoption by the General Assembly, which are reproduced in paragraph 11 of the report.  In the first draft resolution, the Assembly would commend the Commission on the finalization of a number of its products and note with interest the decisions taken by the Commission as regards its future work and the progress made by the Commission in its work in several areas.  The second draft resolution relates specifically to the Model Law on Warehouse Receipts, by which the Assembly would recommend that all States give favourable consideration to the Model Law when revising or adopting legislation relevant to warehouse receipts.  The third draft resolution pertains to the Model Law on Automated Contracting, by which the Assembly would recommend that all States give favourable consideration to the Model Law when revising or adopting legislation on electronic commerce.

The report on agenda item 78, “United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law”, is to be found in document A/79/468, and the draft resolution recommended by the Sixth Committee is reproduced in paragraph 7 thereof.  Under the terms of the draft resolution, the Assembly would, inter alia, authorize the Secretary-General to carry out the activities specified in his report under this item to be financed from provisions in the regular budget, and also authorize the Secretary-General to further expand these activities to be financed through voluntary contributions.

The report on agenda item 79, “Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-fifth session”, is contained in document A/79/469. Paragraph 9 of this document reproduces the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly in connection with this agenda item.  Under the draft resolution, the Assembly would, inter alia, express its appreciation to the International Law Commission for the work accomplished at its seventy-fifth session, recommend that the Commission continue its work on the topics in its current programme, taking into account the comments and observations of Governments, and decide the dates of the seventy-sixth session of the Commission.  Moreover, the Assembly would reiterate its endorsement to the request of the Commission that the Secretariat proceed with the necessary administrative and organizational arrangements to facilitate the holding of the first part of the seventy-seventh session of the Commission in New York.  The Assembly would also recall that the persons to be elected to the Commission should individually possess the qualifications required, and that representation of the main forms of civilization and of the principal legal systems of the world should be assured, as well as invite Member States to bear in mind resolution 77/335, concerning working methods of the General Assembly and its subsidiary organs, when nominating candidates for the Commission.

Document A/79/470 contains the report on agenda item 80, “Crimes against humanity”, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 14 thereof.  Under the terms of the draft resolution, the Assembly would take note, inter alia, of all the views, comments and concerns expressed in the debates of the Sixth Committee on crimes against humanity including at its resumed sessions held during the seventy-seventh and seventy-eighth sessions of the General Assembly, as well as of the written summary of the deliberations during the two resumed sessions of the Sixth Committee, and the report of the Secretary-General prepared pursuant to Assembly resolution 77/249 on the basis of written comments and observations submitted by Governments on the draft articles and on the recommendation of the Commission.  The Assembly would decide, inter alia, to convene the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity, to meet at United Nations Headquarters in New York for three consecutive weeks in early 2028, and for three consecutive weeks in 2029, unless otherwise agreed by the Preparatory Committee, to elaborate and conclude a legally binding instrument on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.  The Assembly would also decide to convene a preparatory committee for the Conference, to meet for two consecutive weeks, from 19 to 30 January 2026, and for four days, in 2027, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.  The Assembly would also decide to convene a working group, which would be governed by the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, to meet for the entire first session of the Preparatory Committee to facilitate consultations on the draft articles, and to enable Governments to prepare formal proposals for amendments to the draft articles for consideration by the Conference.  The Assembly would refer to the Conference a compiled text, to serve as the basis for negotiations, consisting of both the draft articles and a compilation of proposals for amendments to the draft articles submitted by Governments, and would also refer the commentaries to the draft articles, the written comments and observations of Governments, the views expressed in discussions at the seventy-fourth to seventy-eighth sessions of the General Assembly, the written summary of the resumed sessions of the Sixth Committee and the recommendation of the Commission.  Governments would be invited to submit to the Secretary-General, no later than 30 April 2026, proposals for amendments to the draft articles for inclusion in the compiled text, and the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to submit a proposed compiled text to the Preparatory Committee at its second session.  The Conference would be open to all States Members of the United Nations and members of the specialized agencies, and request the Secretary-General to invite those States to participate in the Conference.  The Conference and the Preparatory Committee would also be open to observers having received a standing invitation to participate in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly, on the understanding that they would participate in the Conference in accordance with the rights and privileges conferred upon them by the Assembly.  The Secretary-General would be requested, inter alia, to provide the Preparatory Committee and the Conference with the necessary assistance for the performance of their work, including secretariat services and the provision of essential background information and relevant documents, including summary records, as appropriate, and United Nations media coverage, and to arrange for support to be provided by the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Secretariat.

The report on agenda item 81, “Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts”, is contained in document A/79/471, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 9 of the report.  Under the terms of this draft resolution, the Assembly would update previous resolutions on this item, aiming to increase acceptance of the Additional Protocols and enhance protection for victims of armed conflict.  It would also welcome the increasing trend of voluntary submissions transmitted to the Secretary-General.

The report on agenda item 82, “Consideration of effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives”, is contained in document A/79/472, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 7 of the report.  Under the terms of the draft resolution, the Assembly would, inter alia, strongly condemn all acts of violence against diplomatic and consular missions and representatives, as well as against missions and representatives to international intergovernmental organizations and officials of such organizations, and urge States to strictly observe, implement and enforce, including during a period of armed conflict, all the applicable principles and rules of international law.

The report on agenda item 83, “Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization”, is contained in document A/79/473, and the related draft resolution is reproduced in paragraph 10 thereof.  Under the terms of the draft resolution, the Assembly would, inter alia, request the Special Committee to continue its consideration of all proposals concerning the question of the maintenance of international peace and security and to keep on its agenda the question of the peaceful settlement of disputes between States.  Moreover, it would invite Member States to focus their comments during the thematic debate at the next session of the Special Committee on the subtopic “Exchange of information on State practices regarding the use of procedures envisaged in the Charter and other international instruments”.

The report on agenda item 84, “The rule of law at the national and international levels”, is contained in document A/79/474.  Under the terms of the draft resolution, which is reproduced in paragraph 8 of the report, the Assembly would, inter alia, reaffirm the imperative of upholding and promoting the rule of law at the international level in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, recall the importance of the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, and stress the importance of adherence to the rule of law at the national level.  The Assembly would request the Secretary-General to submit, in a timely manner, his next annual report on United Nations rule of law activities, addressing, in a balanced manner, the national and international dimensions of the rule of law.  The Assembly would also invite Member States to focus their comments during the upcoming Sixth Committee debate, to be held at the eightieth session, on the subtopic “The rule of law at the national and international levels at the eightieth anniversary of the United Nations”.

The report on agenda item 85, “The scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction” is contained in document A/79/475, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 10 thereof.  By the terms of the draft resolution, the General Assembly would, inter alia, establish a working group of the Sixth Committee, at its eighty-first session, to continue the discussion on the topic; such working group would consider and comment on the question “how the principle of universal jurisdiction is distinct from other related concepts”.  The Assembly would invite Member States and relevant observers to submit information and observations on the scope and application of universal jurisdiction, including, where appropriate, information on the relevant applicable international treaties and on their national legal rules and judicial practice.  The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to prepare and submit, at its eightieth session, a report based on such information and observations.

The report on agenda item 86, “Protection of persons in the event of disasters”, is contained in document A/79/476 and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 8 of the report.  Under the terms of this draft resolution, the Assembly would, inter alia, take note of the reports of the working group on protection of persons in the event of disasters and would decide to elaborate and conclude a legally binding instrument on the protection of persons in the event of disasters, by the end of 2027 at the latest, at the dates and location and in accordance with the modalities to be determined by the General Assembly at its eightieth session.  The Assembly would also decide that the Sixth Committee shall resume its session for up to five days by April 2026 at the latest, in order to prepare a consolidated text including the draft articles and the proposals submitted by Governments, within the framework of a working group of the Committee.   The Assembly would also invite Governments to submit proposals for amendments to the draft articles no later than 31 December 2025 and would request the Secretary-General to submit a compilation of all proposals to the working group.

Mr. President,

I shall now turn to the second heading, “Drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”, under which the Sixth Committee considered agenda item 110, “Measures to eliminate international terrorism”.  The relevant report is contained in document A/79/477, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 9 thereof.  Under the terms of the draft resolution, the Assembly would, inter alia, decide to recommend that the Sixth Committee, at the eightieth session, establish a working group with a view to finalizing the process on the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorism as well as discussions on the item included in its agenda by Assembly resolution 54/110 concerning the question of convening a high-level conference under the auspices of the United Nations.

Mr. President,

            Under the third and final heading, “Organizational, administrative and other matters”, the Sixth Committee considered 13 substantive and two procedural items.

Agenda item 152, “Administration of justice at the United Nations”, was allocated to the Fifth and Sixth Committees.  The views of the Sixth Committee on this item were transmitted to the Fifth Committee through a letter from the President of the General Assembly dated 22 November 2024 and are annexed to document A/C.5/79/21.

The report on agenda item 168, “Report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country”, is contained in document A/79/479.  Under the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption, which is reproduced in paragraph 8 of the report, the Assembly would, inter alia, strongly urge the host country to remove all travel restrictions imposed by it on staff of certain missions and staff members of the Secretariat of certain nationalities, and express serious concern regarding multiple cases of denial and non-issuance of entry visas, including in particular to delegates participating in high-level events and the General Debate of the General Assembly, and in the work of the Main Committees of the General Assembly.  The Assembly would also reiterate its request to the Secretary-General to give the most serious consideration and take any appropriate steps under section 21 of the Headquarters Agreement and intensify efforts to expedite resolution of issues that remained unresolved.

Furthermore, the Sixth Committee considered eleven requests for observer status in the General Assembly.  It recommended, in relation to agenda item 179, that the Assembly grant observer status in the General Assembly to the International Coffee Organization.  The report on the request is contained in document A/79/490 and the draft resolution is reproduced in paragraph 7.

The Committee also recommended, in relation to agenda items 169 to 178, that the Assembly defer to the eightieth session the taking of a decision on the requests for observer status in the General Assembly for the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Community of Democracies, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Secretariat, the Global Environment Facility, the International Organization of Employers, the International Trade Union Confederation, the Boao Forum for Asia, the International Parliamentarians’ Congress and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative. The reports on those requests are contained in documents A/79/480 to A/79/489, respectively.  The relevant draft decisions are reproduced in paragraph 7 of documents A/79/480 to A/79/488 and in paragraph 8 of document A/79/489.

        Concerning the two procedural items, namely agenda item 121, “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”, and agenda item 140, “Programme planning”, the report under agenda item 121, containing the provisional programme of work of the Sixth Committee for the eightieth session, is to be found in document A/79/491.  The draft decision, by which the Assembly would take note of the provisional programme of work, is reproduced in paragraph 6 of the report.  The report on agenda item 140 is contained in document A/79/492, and no further action by the Assembly is recommended.

Mr. President,

The draft resolutions and the draft decisions relating to the agenda items under all three headings were adopted by the Sixth Committee without a vote, and it is my hope that the General Assembly will do the same.

I wish to inform the Assembly that there is no report regarding agenda item 5, “Election of the officers of the Main Committees”.  Consistent with previous practice, the election of the officers of the Sixth Committee for the eightieth session will be taken up at a later stage in the course of the current session.

Mr. President,

        The outcomes of this session of the Sixth Committee will serve to further the General Assembly’s mandate relating to the progressive development of international law and its codification, and the purposes and principles of the United Nations.  Through the efforts of many delegations that were united in their commitment and determination to explore all avenues for compromise and to push the boundaries of their flexibility, the Committee was able to uphold its tradition of decision-making by consensus.  This tradition is important as consensus, which requires willingness to engage in extensive dialogue and negotiations, allows international law to develop in a manner that is inclusive and unfragmented.  With respect to the treaty-making processes that are the subject of two draft resolutions that have been recommended to the General Assembly for adoption, the establishment of these processes by consensus puts us on a path towards the achievement of instruments that may gain wide acceptance and implementation.  To be able to achieve such instruments, much work lies ahead, but given the importance of the topics in question for humanity, it is important that we have been able to take the initial steps together and with unity.

            I wish to conclude by stating that it has been a distinct honour and privilege for me to represent the Asia-Pacific Group in the Bureau, and to serve as Rapporteur of the Sixth Committee at this session.  Allow me to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the Chair of the Sixth Committee, Ambassador Rui Vinhasof Portugal, for his dedicated work and for his commendable leadership of the Committee, as well as the other members of the Bureau, Mr. Ammar Mohammed Mahmoud Mohammed of the Sudan, Mr. Matúš Košuth of Slovakia, and Ms. Ligia Lorena Flores Sotoof El Salvador for their close support and cooperation.  I also wish to thank all the delegates and colleagues for their valuable contributions to the success of the session.  Finally, I would like to express my gratitude and appreciation to the Secretariat of the Sixth Committee, the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs, for its efficient and valuable support and for the competent and professional advice provided throughout the session.

            I thank you, Mr. President.

  . . . . .

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