18 countries take 29 treaty actions at annual UN event

Eighteen countries have taken 29 actions signing and ratifying international pacts during the first three days of a special event taking place at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Yesterday Austria became the sixth country to ratify the 2005 International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. Austria also partially withdrew one of its reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, relating to women in the workforce.

Also yesterday, Armenia and Peru deposited instruments of accession to become parties to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which establishes a system of visits by independent experts to places of detention.

Several countries signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel, which extends protection by the Convention to UN humanitarian personnel serving in the field.

The first part of this year’s event coincided with the High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, and it spotlighted 30 treaties regulating a broad range of cross-border issues.

In addition to treaties relating to migration, refugees and Stateless persons, the event will showcase pacts on human trafficking, organized crime, corruption, climate change, sustainable development, indiscriminate or excessively injurious weapons, torture and food security.

The annual event, held since 2000, seeks to promote increased participation of countries in the more than 500 multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General, and by so doing, to strengthen the rule of law.

The Treaty Event will continue on 19 September and conclude on 20 September.