In 2000 the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) held two regular meetings in order to examine questions of public international law, to exchange and, if appropriate, to co-ordinate the views of member States at the request of the Committee of Ministers, Steering Committees and Ad Hoc Committees and at its own initiative.

With regard to the activity on the law and practice relating to reservations and interpretative declarations concerning international treaties the CAHDI, following the adoption by the Committee of Ministers of Recommendation No. R (99) 13 on responses to inadmissible reservations to international treaties, adopted a guide to practice on Key issues regarding the formulation of reservations to international treaties. In addition, the CAHDI continued to operate as a European Observatory of Reservations to International Treaties and to consider outstanding reservations to international treaties concluded within and outside the Council of Europe.

Concerning the activity on consent by States to be bound by a treaty, an analytical report was prepared under the aegis of the CAHDI by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law on the basis of the contributions provided by the Committee member and observer States.

The Committee also held exchanges of views concerning the following issues: implementation of international instruments protecting the victims of armed conflicts; developments concerning the International Criminal Court (in this connection, the CAHDI organized jointly with the CDPC a multilateral consultation meeting on the implications of the ratification of the Rome Statute in the legal order of member States); implementation and functioning of the Tribunals established by UN Security Council Resolutions 827 (1993) and 955 (1994); protection of Cultural Heritage in times of War; developments concerning the preparation of a European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights; the activity of the General Assembly of the United Nations, of the Sixth Committee, and of the International Law Commission (ILC).

With a view to contributing to the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), the CAHDI commissioned the preparation of a report on the Implications of the European Convention of Human Rights on the development of public international law subsequently published by the Council of Europe (ISBN 92-871-4290-4).

The Committee held an exchange of views with the President and the Vice-President of the International Court of Conciliation and Arbitration.

The CAHDI admitted Mexico as observer to the Committee.