The Secretariat of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) participated in the debates of the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, within the framework of the International Law Week devoted to the examination of the latest reports of the International Law Commission (ILC) (New York, 28 October – 6 November 2013).

Upon a proposal by the Chair of the CAHDI, Ms Liesbeth Lijnzaad, the activities of the CAHDI were presented to the members of the Sixth Committee on 30 October, in the premises of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the UN.

Presentation leaflet of the CAHDI, New York, 30 October 2013

On 1st November, Mr Jörg Polakiewicz, Director of Legal Advice and Public International Law and Legal Adviser of the Council of Europe, made a statement before the Sixth Committee. He mentioned in particular the work of the Council of Europe with regard to the review of its conventions as well as the role and achievements of the CAHDI as European Observatory of Reservations to International Treaties.

Statement by M. Jörg Polakiewicz, General Assembly of the United Nations

This initiative is along the lines of one of the main objectives of the CAHDI, consisting in developing exchanges of views on the work of the ILC and the Sixth Committee in the field of codification and progressive development of public international law. The close relationship between the CAHDI and the ILC is also nourished by the annual visit of the Chair of the CAHDI to the ILC session in Geneva as well as the participation once a year of a member of the ILC at the CAHDI meeting.

On the occasion of this initiative, the new website of the CAHDI which covers all its activities was launched.