EU Statement – UN General Assembly 6th Committee: UN Programme of Assistance in International Law
– CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY –
Thank you, Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The Candidate Countries Türkiye, North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Serbia*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, as well as Armenia and Monaco align themselves with this statement.
Chair,
We thank the Secretary-General for his report (A/80/437).
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Programme of Assistance. At the time, the General Assembly considered that this would have contributed “towards meeting the pressing need for wider knowledge of international law as a means of strengthening peace and security and promoting friendly relations and cooperation among States” (Resolution 2099 (XX) of 20 December 1965). This need could not be stronger today, when the international legal order and peace face severe challenges, due to the proliferation of conflicts and egregious violations of international law.
Over the past six decades, the Programme has demonstrated its relevance and its capacity to train brilliant minds in international law and build networks between scholars and young professionals around the world.
The European Union and its Member States are particularly grateful to the Office of Legal Affairs and its Codification Division for their continuing efforts to ensure the implementation of the activities of the Programme despite the deteriorating liquidity situation.
Looking ahead, we are concerned about the impact that the liquidity crisis may have on the International Fellowship Programme and the Regional Courses in International Law for Africa, Asia and the Pacific, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. Such in-training programmes are invaluable, offering unique opportunities for in-depth discussions, interaction, and cooperation among participants from such regions. We encourage every effort to avoid scaling down these programmes from an annual to a biannual basis. We also reiterate the importance of continuing to diversify the pool of lecturers and participants of the training programmes, ensuring balance among different legal systems and various geographical regions.
In the digital era, the importance of online training activities and materials cannot be overstated. They have the capacity to provide free access to high-quality training to an unlimited number of individuals and institutions around the world. In this regard, we welcome the recruitment of two full-time positions dedicated to the further development, dissemination, and maintenance of the Audiovisual Library and the resumption of its work since April 2025. We also welcome the efforts to facilitate access to the Lecture Series through the Library podcast and encourage the Codification Division to continue with these efforts and to make the content of the library available on additional podcast platforms, to increase its accessibility and visibility. In order to expand the reach of the Programme, we also encourage the use of technology to facilitate access to materials and courses in other languages at low cost, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Strategic Framework on Multilingualism, adopted in 2024.
Finally, we welcome that the activities of the Programme continue to be financed from the regular budget. We also commend all those who have provided voluntary monetary and in-kind contributions. Voluntary contributions remain important to continue to complement and strengthen the Programme’s efforts.
Chair,
In closing, the European Union and its Member States reiterate their continued support for all the activities of the Programme of Assistance. We recognize the Programme’s role in equipping legal professionals with the knowledge and networks to engage with international law in an increasingly complex environment, thereby strengthening multilateralism and the rule of law.
Thank you.
*North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.