A/77/PV.47 General Assembly

The General Assembly will consider the reports of the Sixth Committee on agenda items 73 to 86, 112, 124, 139 and 168 to 178. I now request the Rapporteur of the Committee, Ms. Sarah Zahirah Ruhama of Malaysia, to introduce the reports of the Committee in one intervention. Ms. Ruhama (Malaysia), Rapporteur of the Sixth Committee: I have the honour to present the reports of the Sixth Committee on its work during the seventy- seventh session of the General Assembly. The Assembly allocated to the Committee 28 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 items in the order in which they fall under those three headings. Under the heading, “Promotion of justice and international law”, the Sixth Committee considered 14 agenda items and adopted 17 draft resolutions recommended to the General Assembly for adoption. I first invite the Assembly to consider agenda item 73, “Responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts”. Document A/77/411 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 terms of the draft resolution, the General Assembly would commend once again the articles on the responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts to the attention of Governments and request the Secretary- General to invite Governments to submit written comments on future action on the articles and to update the compilation of decisions of international courts, tribunals and other bodies referring to the articles, as well as the technical report submitted in 2016. The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to provide it with a report on all procedural options based on precedents regarding actions taken on other products of the International Law Commission, without prejudice to the question of whether such possible action is appropriate, and take note of the discussion on procedural precedents for such action, including all views, comments and concerns expressed thereon. The report on agenda item 74, “Criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission”, is contained in document A/77/412, 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 75, “Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the work of its fifty-fifth session”, is contained in document A/77/413. 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 draft United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships, by which the Assembly would adopt the Convention and authorize a ceremony for the opening for signature of the Convention to be held in Beijing and recommend that the Convention be known as the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”. In turn, the third draft resolution pertains to the Model Law on the Use and Cross-border Recognition of Identity Management and Trust Services, by which the Assembly would recommend that all States give favourable consideration to the Model Law when revising or adopting legislation relevant to identity management and trust services, as well as to the use of the Model Law on Electronic Commerce, the Model Law on Electronic Signatures and the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records when revising or adopting legislation on electronic commerce. The report on agenda item 76, “United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law”, is to be found in document A/77/414, 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 those activities to be financed through voluntary contributions. The report on agenda item 77, “Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-third session”, is contained in document A/77/415. Paragraph 12 of that document reproduces the two draft resolutions recommended to the General Assembly in connection with this agenda item. Under draft resolution I, the Assembly would express its appreciation to the International Law Commission for the work accomplished at its seventy-third session, recommend that the Commission continue its work on the topics in its current programme, and would decide the date of the seventy-fourth session of the Commission. The Assembly would also decide that the consideration of chapter IV of the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-third session, dealing with the topic “Peremptory norms of general international law (jus cogens)”, would continue at the seventy-eighth session, during the consideration of the report of the Commission on the work of its seventy- fourth session. Further, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to establish a trust fund for assistance to Special Rapporteurs of the Commission and matters ancillary thereto. Draft resolution II pertains to the topic of the protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts, by which the Assembly would take note of the principles on protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts, the text of which would be annexed to the resolution, would bring them to the attention of States, international organizations and all who may be called upon to deal with the subject, as well as encourage their widest possible dissemination. Document A/77/416 contains the report on agenda item 78, “Crimes against humanity”, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 7 thereof. Under the terms of the draft resolution, the Assembly would take note once again of the draft articles presented by the International Law Commission and would decide that the Sixth Committee shall exchange substantive views, including in an interactive format, on all aspects of the draft articles on prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity, and consider further the recommendation of the International Law Commission in resumed parts of its seventy-seventh and seventy- eighth sessions. It would invite States to submit written comments and observations on the draft articles and on the recommendation of the Commission and would request the Secretariat to prepare and circulate a compilation of such comments and observations well in advance of the resumed seventy-eighth session. The Assembly would also decide that the Sixth Committee will further consider the matter at its seventy-ninth session and take a decision, without prejudice to the question of the future adoption of the draft articles or other appropriate action. The report on agenda item 79, “Diplomatic protection”, is contained in document A/77/417. Under the terms of the draft resolution reproduced in paragraph 8 of the report, the Assembly would, inter alia, commend the articles on diplomatic protection to the attention of Governments and invite them to submit written commentaries to the Secretary-General, including concerning the International Law Commission’s recommendation to elaborate a convention based on the articles. The Assembly would also decide to continue to examine the question of a convention on diplomatic protection, or any other appropriate action, on the basis of the articles, at its eightieth session, and encourage all Member States to continue the substantive dialogue on an informal basis during the period prior to that session. The report on agenda item 80, “Consideration of prevention of transboundary harm from hazardous activities and allocation of loss in the case of such harm”, is contained in document A/77/418. Paragraph 7 of the report reproduces the draft resolution on this agenda item, by which the Assembly would commend once again the articles on prevention of transboundary harm from hazardous activities and the principles on the allocation of loss in the case of transboundary harm arising out of hazardous activities to the attention of the Governments. The Assembly would invite Governments to submit further comments on any future action, as well as on any practice in relation to the application of the articles and principles, and request the Secretary-General to submit a compilation of decisions of international courts, tribunals and other bodies referring to the articles and the principles. The Assembly would also decide to continue consideration of any future action in respect of the articles and principles at its eighty-second session. 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/77/419, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 7 of the report. Under the terms of this draft resolution, the Assembly would update and strengthen 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/77/420, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 8 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/77/421, 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 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 resort to regional agencies or arrangements” and would also suggest additional subtopics to be considered in future sessions of the Special Committee. The report on agenda item 84, “The rule of law at the national and international levels”, is contained in document A/77/422. 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, stress the importance of adherence to the rule of law at the national level, and invite Member States to focus their comments during the upcoming Sixth Committee debate, to be held at the seventy-eighth session, on the subtopic “Using technology to advance access to justice for all”. The report on agenda item 85, “The scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction” is contained in document A/77/423, and the draft resolution recommended to the General Assembly for adoption is reproduced in paragraph 9 thereof. By the terms of the draft resolution, the Assembly would establish a working group of the Sixth Committee, at its seventy-ninth session, to continue the discussion on the topic and to consider and comment on the question “on the relevant elements of a working concept of universal jurisdiction”. The Assembly would also request the Secretary-General to prepare and submit, at its seventy- eighth session, a report based on information and observations by Member States and relevant observers on the scope and application of universal jurisdiction, as well as a report to be submitted at its seventy-ninth session reviewing all the submissions of Member States and relevant observers, and views expressed in the debates of the Sixth Committee, since the sixty-second session of the Assembly and identifying possible convergences and divergences on the definition, scope and application of universal jurisdiction for the consideration of the Sixth Committee. The report on agenda item 86, “The law of transboundary aquifers”, is contained in document A/77/424, and the draft resolution is reproduced in paragraph 7 of the report. By this draft resolution, the Assembly would commend to the attention of Governments the articles on the law of transboundary aquifers and encourage the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme of UNESCO to continue its contribution by providing further scientific and technical assistance to States. The Assembly would also decide to continue consideration of any future action in respect of the articles at its eighty-first session. 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 112, “Measures to eliminate international terrorism”. The relevant report is contained in document A/77/425, 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 seventy-eighth 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 on its agenda by Assembly resolution 54/110 concerning the question of convening a high-level conference under the auspices of the United Nations. Under the third and final heading, “Organizational, administrative and other matters”, the Sixth Committee considered 13 substantive and two procedural items. Agenda item 145, “United Nations common system”, was allocated jointly 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 4 November 2022 and are annexed to document A/C.5/77/16. Agenda item 149, “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 18 November 2022 and are annexed to document A/C.5/77/17. The report on agenda item 168, “Report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country”, is contained in document A/77/429. 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 remaining travel restrictions imposed by it on staff of certain missions and staff members of the Secretariat of certain nationalities, express serious concern regarding the non-issuance of entry visas to certain representatives of certain Member States, anticipate that the host country will ensure the issuance of entry visas to all representatives of all Member States and members of the Secretariat pursuant to the Headquarters Agreement, and reiterate its recommendation to the Secretary-General to give most serious consideration and take any appropriate steps under section 21 of the Headquarters Agreement and to enhance efforts to resolve the issues. Furthermore, the Sixth Committee considered 10 requests for observer status in the General Assembly. The reports on agenda items 177 and 178 are contained in documents A/77/438 and A/77/439. In paragraphs 8 and 7 of the reports, respectively, the Committee recommended that the Assembly grant observer status in the General Assembly to the Digital Cooperation Organization and to the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, respectively. The Committee also recommended that the Assembly defer to the seventy-eighth 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, and the Boao Forum for Asia, under the respective agenda items 169 to 176. The reports on those requests are contained in documents A/77/430 to A/77/437, respectively. The relevant draft decisions are reproduced in paragraph 7 of those reports. Concerning the two procedural items, namely agenda item 124, “Revitalization of the work of the General Assembly”, and agenda item 139, “Programme planning”, the report under agenda item 124, containing the provisional programme of work of the Sixth Committee for the seventy-eighth session, is to be found in document A/77/426. 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 139 is contained in document A/77/427, and no further action by the Assembly is recommended. 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. Finally, 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 seventy-eighth session will be taken up at a later stage in the course of the current session. 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 Pedro Comissário Afonso of Mozambique, for his dedicated work and for his commendable leadership of the Committee, as well as the other members of the Bureau, Ms. Tzvety Romanska of Bulgaria, Mr. Edgar Daniel Leal Matta of Guatemala and Ms. Anna Pála Sverrisdóttir of Iceland, for their close support and cooperation. I also wish to thank all representatives 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, and to 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 the Rapporteur of the Sixth Committee. The positions of delegations regarding the recommendations of the Committee have been made clear in the Committee and are reflected in the relevant official records. Therefore, if there is no proposal under rule 66 of the rules of procedure, I shall take it that the General Assembly decides not to discuss the reports of the Committee which are before the Assembly today.

Statements will therefore be limited to explanations of vote. May I remind members that in accordance with decision 34/401, a delegation should, as far as possible, explain its vote only once, that is, either in the Committee or in plenary meeting, unless that delegation’s vote in plenary meeting is different from its vote in the Committee and that explanations of vote are limited to 10 minutes and should be made by delegations from their seats. When there are multiple proposals under an agenda item, statements in explanation of vote before the voting on any or all of them should be made in one intervention, followed by action on all of them, one by one. Thereafter, there will be an opportunity for statements in explanation of vote after the voting on any or all of them in one intervention. Before we begin to take action on the recommendations contained in the reports of the Committee, I should like to advise representatives that we will proceed to take decisions in the same manner as was done in the Committee, unless the Secretariat is notified otherwise in advance. I should therefore hope that we may proceed to adopt without a vote those recommendations that were adopted without a vote in the Committee. Members are reminded that additional co-sponsors are no longer accepted now that draft resolutions and decisions have been adopted in the Committee. Any clarification about co-sponsorship should be addressed to the Secretary of the Committee.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 10 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 73?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 10 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 74?

The Assembly has before it three draft resolutions recommended by the Committee in paragraph 11 of its report. We will now take a decision on the three draft resolutions, one by one. We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled “Report of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law on the work of its fifty-fifth session”. The Committee adopted draft resolution I without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

Draft resolution II is entitled “United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships”. The Committee adopted draft resolution II without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

Draft resolution III is entitled “Model Law on the Use and Cross-border Recognition of Identity Management and Trust Services”. The Committee adopted draft resolution III without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 75?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 76?

The Assembly has before it two draft resolutions recommended by the Committee in paragraph 12 of its report. We will now take a decision on the two draft resolutions, one by one. We turn first to draft resolution I, entitled “Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-third session”. The Committee adopted draft resolution I without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

Draft resolution II is entitled “Protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts”. The Committee adopted draft resolution II without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 77?

I should like to inform members that action on the draft resolution is postponed to a later date to allow time for the review of its programme budget implications by the Fifth Committee. The Assembly will take action on the draft resolution as soon as the report of the Fifth Committee on the programme budget implications is available. The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 78.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 8 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 79?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 80?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 81?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 8 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted the draft resolution without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 82?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 10 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 83?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 8 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 84?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 9 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 85?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 86?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 9 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 112?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 6 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

The General Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 124.

May I take it that the General Assembly wishes to take note of the report of the Committee? It was so decided (decision 77/522).

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 139.

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 8 of its report. We will now take a decision on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 168?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 169?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 170?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 171?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 172?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 173?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 174?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 175?

The Assembly has before it a draft decision recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft decision. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 176?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 8 of its report. We will now take action on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 177?

The Assembly has before it a draft resolution recommended by the Committee in paragraph 7 of its report. We will now take action on the draft resolution. The Committee adopted it without a vote. May I take it that the Assembly wishes to do likewise?

I now call on the representative of the Russian Federation.

We have almost concluded consideration of the report of the Sixth Committee, but I wanted to ask for the Assembly’s attention for a few minutes. The need for a frank discussion about the working methods and practices of the Committee is long overdue. During this session, with Member States coming within a hair’s breadth of destroying the long- standing tradition of consensus, it has become clear that continuing to pass over this issue in silence would be simply inappropriate. The Russian Federation attaches great importance to the work of the Sixth Committee and actively participates in it. We value the tried-and-true working methods of the Committee, which are aimed at effectively carrying out the tasks facing it. Pride of place here is given to the practice of adopting decisions by consensus. That principle’s immutable significance stems from the unique mandate of the Sixth Committee, which is focused on issues related to the codification and progressive development of international law. The need for consensus motivates States to work hard to find balanced approaches and solutions. In turn, that makes it more likely that the texts emanating from the Committee will thus become genuinely universal international treaties. It seems that the contrary should be perfectly obvious as well. Documents that are adopted by a vote against the will of certain States do not stand a chance of being universal and universally recognized. However, despite that fact, year in and year out and to our great regret, we are compelled to see the growing politicization of the work of the Sixth Committee. That is accompanied by statements that consensus, as they say, stands in the way of progress and is practically the main reason for the stagnation in the Committee’s work. We are sincerely baffled by the position of certain delegations, which have joined in criticizing the practice of consensus on certain issues in the Committee, while on other issues they are actively working to block any progress. A good example of this is the resolution on the report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country. For many years, a whole range of States have been suffering from violations of specific international legal obligations under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement. However, due to the objections raised primarily by those guilty of such violations, year in and year out the resolution has been unable to condemn that situation with the decisiveness warranted by such glaring facts. How is this not a manifestation of double standards? Such a phenomenon has no place in the Sixth Committee. States need to be consistent; they need to be uniform in their approach to the consideration of all the products of the International Law Commission and with regard to the other matters on the agenda. The hottest heads here should be advised of the fact that renouncing consensus on certain issues and maintaining it on others will not work. The Sixth Committee will either continue to adhere to the consensus practice or it will fully depart from it. We are pleased that during the current session of the Committee, the spirit of cooperation did ultimately prevail, allowing delegations to reach compromise solutions. We hope that going forward all our colleagues in the Committee will share an understanding of how significant it is to preserve the practice of taking decisions by consensus in this body.

May I take it that it is the wish of the Assembly to conclude its consideration of agenda item 178?

The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of all the reports of the Sixth Committee before it for this meeting. I would like to thank Ambassador Pedro Comissário Afonso, Permanent Representative of Mozambique and Chair of the Sixth Committee, and the members of the Bureau for their leadership. I congratulate them on the successful conclusion of what has proved to be a challenging session. The Committee should be commended for maintaining gender balance in the Bureau, and I hope that this will serve as a model for other committees as well. My thanks also go to the Secretariat, which has kept the Committee running smoothly. I thank all present for their commitment and engagement in the work of the Committee with a spirit of dialogue and compromise. The Sixth Committee is tasked with grappling with some of the most complex issues and crises that this Organization and the global community face. Member States must continue to work together to identify and develop tools — including in the realm of law and jurisprudence  — that serve the international community and offer sustainable solutions. The rule of law must be maintained and strengthened, for without it there will be deeper divides, more conflicts and chaos. Adherence to the law paves the way for a more peaceful, prosperous and just world, for current generations as well as future ones.

The Assembly will now take a decision on draft resolution A/77/L.22, entitled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System”. I now give the floor to the representative of the Secretariat.

I should like to announce that since the submission of the draft resolution, and in addition to the delegations listed in document A/77/L.22, the following countries have also become co-sponsors of the draft: Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Kyrgyzstan and Suriname.

May I take it that the Assembly wishes to adopt draft resolution A/77/L.22?

May I take it that it is the wish of the General Assembly to conclude its consideration of sub-item (e) of agenda item 127?