General Assembly chief pays tribute to International Law Commission

General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim paid tribute to the International Law Commission (ILC) on its sixtieth anniversary today, describing it as “a living testament to the importance that the General Assembly attaches to the progressive development of international law and its codification.”

Speaking to the sixtieth anniversary session of the ILC in Geneva, in a video message from New York, Mr. Kerim said the Commission’s meticulous and painstaking work over the past 60 years had served as the basis for the adoption of many multilateral conventions under the auspices of the UN.

“Its composition, representing the principal legal systems of the world, embodies the desire of the international community to advance a common understanding of international law within a multicultural and regionally representative framework,” he said.

The ILC was created by the General Assembly in 1948 to promote the codification of international law.

Looking to the future, Mr. Kerim said that the global challenges faced today could no longer be addressed within a system that put the interests of States above all others, and called for “a new kind of internationalism that situates the well-being of the individual and communities at its centre.”

“It is pleasing to note that the Commission in its work over the years has elaborated on topics that have strived to improve the status and protection of the individual,” he said.

“The development of international law for the direct benefit of the individual should be the focus of law-making in the 21st century.”