The United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee (also known as the Legal Committee or C6) is one of six main committees of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. It deals primarily with legal matters and is the primary forum for the consideration of

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

and other legal matters concerning the United Nations.

Mandate

The United Nations General Assembly has an express mandate to promote the progressive development of public international law as laid out in the

Charter of the United Nations The Charter of the United Nations is the foundational treaty of the United Nations (UN). It establishes the purposes, governing structure, and overall framework of the UN system, including its six principal organs: the Secretariat, the G ...

. Specifically, Article 13 of the Charter states that the General Assembly has the authority to "initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of: (a) promoting international co-operation in the political field and encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification." Subsequent practice has interpreted this provision as a broad authorization to elaborate new

treaties A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention ...

on the widest range of issues, to adopt them, and to recommend them to states for their subsequent signature, ratification or accession. While international law-making negotiations take place in a variety of specialized bodies of the United Nations, depending on their actual subject-matter, those negotiations related to general international law are usually held at the Sixth Committee.

Composition and method of work

The Sixth Committee has universal membership, as such all

United Nations member states The United Nations comprise sovereign states and the world's largest intergovernmental organization. All members have equal representation in the UN General Assembly. The Charter of the United Nations defines the rules for admission of ...

are entitled to representation in its proceedings. Non-member states with

observer status Observer status is a privilege granted by some organizations to non-members to give them an ability to participate in the organization's activities. Observer status is often granted by intergovernmental organizations (IGO) to non-member parties and ...

may also attend and participate in the discussions of the committee. The Sixth Committee meets every year for six weeks in parallel with the General Assembly's annual session, with its work beginning after the general debate and finishing by mid-November. Occasionally, the committee may also be reconvened upon request of the General Assembly to address substantive questions. Before the work of the committee begins, the General Assembly assigns to it a list of agenda items to be discussed. Common agenda items include: * The promotion of justice and international law * Accountability and internal United Nations justice matters * Drug control * Crime prevention * Combating international terrorism The committee also hears the annual reports of its reporting bodies, as well as considers requests for observer status in the General Assembly. The committee does not hold a general debate at the start of its session, instead discussing its agenda items one by one, following a program of work adopted at its first meeting. Following formal discussions and negotiations, any adopted proposals are submitted to the plenary of the General Assembly for final adoption. If a particular issue proves too complex for the committee, it may refer it to the

International Law Commission The International Law Commission (ILC) is a body of experts responsible for helping develop and codify international law. It is composed of 34 individuals recognized for their expertise and qualifications in international law, who are elected by t ...

, or it may create an ad hoc committee to discuss it. The highlight of the Sixth Committee's work is the "International Law Week" beginning at the end of October, when top legal advisers from member states meet in New York to consider the report of the International Law Commission. Additionally, during the week, the reports of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...

and the

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

are also presented to the plenary of the General Assembly.

Reporting bodies

The following bodies all report to the General Assembly through the Sixth Committee: * Committee on Relations with the Host Country *

* Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization *

United Nations Commission on International Trade Law The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) (French language, French: ''Commission des Nations Unies pour le droit commercial international (CNUDCI)'') is a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly, U.N. Gene ...

* United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination, and Wider Appreciation of International Law * Various ad hoc Committees established by the General Assembly in the context of the work of C6

Current state

In its 79th session, the committee will focus on: H. Promotion of justice and international law * Criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission * Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the work of its fifty-seventh session * United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law * Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-fifth session * Crimes against humanity * Status of the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and relating to the protection of victims of armed conflicts * Consideration of effective measures to enhance the protection, security and safety of diplomatic and consular missions and representatives * Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organization * The rule of law at the national and international levels * The scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction * Protection of persons in the event of disasters H. Drug control, crime prevention and combating international terrorism in all its forms and manifestations * Measures to eliminate international terrorism I. Organizational, administrative and other matters * Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly * Programme planning * Administration of justice at the United Nations * Report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country * Observer status for the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States in the General Assembly * Observer status for the

Eurasian Economic Union The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU)EAEU is the acronym used on thorganisation's website However, many media outlets use the acronym EEU. is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The EAEU has an integrated single ...

in the General Assembly * Observer status for the

Community of Democracies The Community of Democracies (C.O.D), established in 2000, is an intergovernmental coalition of states. Its aim is to bring together governments, civil society and the private sector in the pursuit of the common goal of supporting democratic rul ...

in the General Assembly * Observer status for the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Secretariat in the General Assembly * Observer status for the

Global Environment Facility The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral environmental fund that provides grants and blended finance for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, persistent organic pollutants (P ...

in the General Assembly * Observer status for the International Organization of Employers in the General Assembly * Observer status for the

International Trade Union Confederation The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC; ; ; ) is the world's largest trade union federation. History The federation was formed on 1 November 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) a ...

in the General Assembly * Observer status for the

Boao Forum for Asia The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA; zh, c=博鳌亚洲论坛, p=Bó'áo Yàzhōu Lùntán), initiated by 25 Asian countries and Australia (increased to 28 in 2006), is a nonprofit that hosts high-level forums for leaders from government, business and ...

in the General Assembly * Observer status for the International Parliamentarians’ Congress in the General Assembly * Observer status for the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative in the General Assembly * Observer status for the

International Coffee Organization The International Coffee Organization (ICO) was set up in 1963 in London under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) due to the economic importance of coffee. It administers the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) which is an important instrum ...

in the General Assembly

Bureau

The following make up the bureau of the Sixth Committee for the 79th session of the General Assembly:

Treaties and resolutions negotiated at the Sixth Committee

The following

and resolutions have been negotiated, as a whole or in part, at the Sixth Committee: * The 1961

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. Its aim is to facilitate "the development of friendly relations" among government ...

* The 1969

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) is an international agreement that regulates treaties among sovereign states. Known as the "treaty on treaties", the VCLT establishes comprehensive, operational guidelines, rules, and proced ...

* The 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law, Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations * The 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents (Protection of Diplomats Convention) * The 1978 Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties * The 1979 International Convention against the Taking of Hostages (Hostages Convention) * The 1995 Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel * The 1994 Declaration on Measures to Eliminate International Terrorism ** Also 1996 Supplement to the Declaration, adopted by General Assembly resolution 51/210, 17 December 1996 * The 1997

International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings The Terrorist Bombings Convention (formally the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings) is a 1997 United Nations Multilateral treaty, treaty designed to criminalize terrorist bombings. The convention describes terrori ...

(Terrorist Bombing Convention) * The 1997 Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses * The 1998

Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). It was adopted at a diplomatic conference in Rome, Italy on 17 July 1998Michael P. Scharf (August 1998)''Results of the R ...

* The 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (Terrorist Financing Convention) * The 2001 Draft Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts * The 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (Nuclear Terrorism Convention) * The 2006 United Nations Declaration on Human Cloning * The 2023

High Seas Treaty 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 or BBNJ Agreement, also referred to by some stakeholders as t ...

Since 2000 the Sixth Committee has been elaborating a

Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism Comprehensive may refer to: *Comprehensive layout, the page layout of a proposed design as initially presented by the designer to a client. *Comprehensive school, a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement o ...

to complement the existing counter-terrorism instruments. That proposed treaty has not yet been adopted.

References

External links

* {{authority control 6 International law *