STATEMENT BY MR NATHANIEL KHNG, DELEGATE TO THE 73RD SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ON AGENDA ITEM 81, ON THE UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME OF ASSISTANCE IN THE TEACHING, STUDY, DISSEMINATION AND WIDER APPRECIATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, SIXTH COMMITTEE, 19 OCTOBER 2018

1                      Mr Chair, Singapore associates itself with the statement of the Kingdom of Cambodia on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the statement of Egypt on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We thank the Secretary-General for his report on this agenda item, and the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs for its unstinting efforts in the implementation of the Programme of Assistance. We also thank Ambassador Martha Pobee, the Permanent Representative of Ghana, for her work as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Programme, and Ms Jessica Elbaz for her contributions as Secretary of the Advisory Committee.

2                      Singapore is pleased to note what the Codification Division has achieved in the period under review. We highlight just two such achievements. First, we touch on the International Law Fellowship Programme and the Regional Courses in International Law. These successful programmes make immense contributions to the promotion of international law. My delegation has full confidence that the Codification Division will continue to ensure that these programmes continue their high standards. We encourage the Codification Division to continue efforts to ensure that programme lecturers are geographically diverse, and representative of the principal legal systems of the world.

3                      Second, we touch on the Audiovisual Library of International Law. This is an invaluable resource. In the period of review, the content of the Audiovisual Library’s Lecture Series has been significantly expanded with 50 new lectures. We particularly note and encourage efforts to seek more contributions from outstanding young international law scholars, including from our region.

4                      Also in relation to the Audiovisual Library, we are pleased to note that the Codification Division has been mindful of the need to facilitate access to material for users in regions without high-speed Internet. In this connection, we congratulate the Codification Division on completing the podcast project. For users without access to fee-charging legal databases, the links to free-access content in the Audiovisual Library’s Research Library can be an important resource. We suggest that the links be kept regularly updated. One other suggestion that may be considered would be the development of a search engine, which the Audiovisual Library currently does not have. This would be a useful tool for users, especially as the Audiovisual Library continues to grow.

5                      Mr Chair, Singapore strongly identifies with the goals and purposes of the Programme of Assistance. We have sought to contribute on a global level to the teaching, study, dissemination, and wider appreciation of international law. Initiatives that we have undertaken in this connection include international law-related courses under the Singapore Cooperation Programme, which is our primary platform to assist fellow developing countries. In August 2018, we ran a course on “International Law and its Application”. Next year, the courses that we will run will include “International Law of the Sea” and “International Dispute Resolution”. Given our common interests, we are honoured to serve as a member of the Advisory Committee on the Programme of Assistance.  

6                      Thank you very much, Mr Chair.

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