Sixth Committee, 24th plenary meeting - General Assembly, 81st session
Responsibility of international organizations - Item 87 (A/81/83, A/81/222)
United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law - Item 77 (A/81/417)
Agenda item81st session
Item 77
United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law
Sixth Committee, 24th meeting of the 81st session. Agenda items taken up: “Responsibility of international organizations - Item 87 (A/81/83, A/81/222)”; “United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law - Item 77 (A/81/417)”. 28 speakers were heard, representing 27 delegations.
Key points
Cameroon reaffirmed full support for the program of assistance established by the General Assembly in 1965, saying it has helped for more than six decades to promote understanding of international law and strengthen national capacity.
Philippines, on behalf of eleven member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, expressed concern about the liquidity situation and uncertainty over regular budget resources, which it said delayed planning and implementation of the regional courses and fellowship program, while welcoming the proposed additional resources for the 2027 program budget.
Jamaica, on behalf of fourteen Member States of the Caribbean community, emphasized that access to international legal education is essential so that all states, regardless of size or resources, can participate effectively in the international legal order, and stressed ensuring equitable access for qualified candidates from developing countries, including those from the Caribbean.
Statement by statement · 26 speakers
🇬🇭 Ghana
Ghana presented the report of the Advisory Committee's sixth session on the United Nations program of assistance in the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law, held on 6 October 2026, as contained in document A1. 417.
Ghana noted that the committee welcomed the four in-person training programs, underscored diversity in languages, legal traditions and gender balance, and encouraged continued recording and publication of lectures on the Audiovisual Library website.
🇺🇾 Uruguay · on behalf of group of 77 and China
Uruguay, on behalf of group of 77 and China, reaffirmed support for the program of assistance as an effective means of strengthening international peace and security and promoting friendly relations and cooperation among states through the dissemination of international law.
Uruguay, on behalf of group of 77 and China, expressed concern that the deteriorated liquidity situation of the organization has had a significant impact on the implementation of the program's activities, and encouraged the Secretariat to explore practical solutions, including partnership models with academic institutions.
🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of Iran · on behalf of NAM
Islamic Republic of Iran, on behalf of NAM, highlighted the program of assistance as one of the most important activities of the United Nations, contributing to friendly relations among states, knowledge of international law, and implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 16 on the rule of law.
Islamic Republic of Iran, on behalf of NAM, supported the codification division's efforts to increase fellowship awards, particularly for participants from developing countries, and called for facilitating admission of developing-country participants willing to bear the entire cost.
Islamic Republic of Iran, on behalf of NAM, urged all member states to ensure the program's activities are well funded through the regular budget and other voluntary contributions.
🇨🇲 Cameroon · on behalf of African group
Cameroon reaffirmed full support for the program of assistance established by the General Assembly in 1965, saying it has helped for more than six decades to promote understanding of international law and strengthen national capacity.
Cameroon reaffirmed full support for the program of assistance established by the General Assembly in 1965, saying it has helped for more than six decades to promote understanding of international law and strengthen national capacity.
Cameroon urged the Secretariat to increase the number of fellowship recipients and regional courses while ensuring a balanced geographic distribution, and to consider incorporating emerging topics such as AI and outer space into the trainings.
🇵🇭 Philippines · on behalf of eleven member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN
Philippines, on behalf of eleven member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, expressed concern about the liquidity situation and uncertainty over regular budget resources, which it said delayed planning and implementation of the regional courses and fellowship program, while welcoming the proposed additional resources for the 2027 program budget.
Philippines, on behalf of eleven member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, stressed the importance of maintaining the regular conduct of the programs so that short-term financial constraints do not deprioritize in-person capacity building, and said it continued to attach importance to traditional in-person training.
Philippines, on behalf of eleven member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, supported funding the program's activities from the UN's regular budget and encouraged voluntary contributions to expand and enhance them.
Philippines, on behalf of eleven member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, welcomed efforts to broaden access to the audiovisual library, including lectures on Spotify and in podcast format, and urged the Codification Division to continue exploring emerging technology while maintaining cost efficiency.
🇯🇲 Jamaica · on behalf of fourteen Member States of the Caribbean community
Jamaica, on behalf of fourteen Member States of the Caribbean community, emphasized that access to international legal education is essential so that all states, regardless of size or resources, can participate effectively in the international legal order, and stressed ensuring equitable access for qualified candidates from developing countries, including those from the Caribbean.
Jamaica, on behalf of fourteen Member States of the Caribbean community, welcomed the continued implementation of the three United Nations regional courses in international law and the International Law Fellowship Program, and the provision in Resolution 80 163 authorizing at least one Hamilton Shirley American Memorial Fellowship scholarship on the Law of the Sea in 2026.
Jamaica, on behalf of fourteen Member States of the Caribbean community, expressed concern about the impact of the UN liquidity and budgetary situation on the program, noting that voluntary contributions should complement rather than substitute for adequate regular budget financing.
European Union · on behalf of European Union and its Member States
European Union, on behalf of European Union and its Member States, stressed that multilateralism grounded in international law, including the UN Charter, must prevail to avoid a world of power politics and the law the strongest, and that a wider knowledge of international law remains as necessary as ever.
European Union, on behalf of European Union and its Member States, expressed concern over the organization's ongoing liquidity constraints, which it said carry serious operational implications, and recalled that payment of assessed contributions in full and on time is a legal obligation under the Charter.
European Union, on behalf of European Union and its Member States, reiterated continued support for all the activities of the program of assistance and for the work of the Codification Division.
🇫🇮 Finland · on behalf of five Nordic countries
Finland, on behalf of five Nordic countries, expressed concern about the reported liquidity situation of the organization and its impact on the implementation of activities under the program of assistance.
Finland, on behalf of five Nordic countries, commended the active engagement of the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs, the Advisory Committee, and the continuous development of the Audiovisual Library of International Law, which it said provides free training resources.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
United Kingdom commended the Codification Division of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs for its work in implementing the programme of assistance, which it said plays a crucial role in enhancing knowledge of international law worldwide.
United Kingdom stated that the United Kingdom made voluntary contributions to the programme of assistance this year, looks forward to continuing its support next year, and would like to encourage other states to continue their support.
🇵🇹 Portugal
Portugal welcomed the continuation of the International Law Fellowship Program and the Regional Courses in International Law, including on an annual basis for the regional courses, among the activities foreseen for 2027.
Portugal commended the work of the Office of Legal Affairs, including its codification division, and the maintenance and further development of the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law.
Portugal noted that Portugal made a voluntary contribution to the program in 2025, expressed its expectation of renewing it this year, and encouraged other Member States to support the activities and explore new funding mechanisms such as partnerships with universities and NGOs.
🇨🇱 Chile
Chile stated that the UN Regional Course on International Law for Latin America and the Caribbean has been hosted in Santiago, Chile, since 2017; this year's course received 60 applications from 23 different countries, and 20 fellowship recipients attended.
Chile expressed concern that the liquidity difficulties faced by the organization continue to cause uncertainty in the regular organization of the programme and its regional courses.
Chile called for predictable financing from the UN budget, recalling that paragraph 9 of Resolution 8163 requests the Secretary-General to include the resources necessary for the programmes for 2027, and said voluntary contributions should not replace regular financing.
🇵🇱 Poland
Poland commended the successful organization of the regional courses International Law for Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the International Law Fellowship Program.
Poland reiterated the importance of ensuring wider geographical representation of the lecturers, and said the geographical diversity of the Audiovisual Library's lecturer series should also be enhanced, including scholars practicing in Central and Eastern Europe.
🇫🇷 France
France reiterated its commitment to the United Nations programme of assistance in the teaching, study, dissemination, and wider appreciation of international law, calling it a precious tool for the rule of law and better cooperation between states.
France welcomed the Secretariat's efforts to reflect geographic and linguistic diversity among participants, and the addition of 12 new conferences in English, Spanish, and French to the website.
🇲🇦 Morocco
Morocco reiterated support for the UN program of assistance in the teaching, study, dissemination, and wider appreciation of international law, and welcomed the convening of the three regional courses despite financial constraints.
Morocco noted that 407 participants applied while 22 managed to participate in the course held in the African region, and said there was a dire need to strengthen opportunities to participate in such courses.
🇨🇳 China
China supported the program's continued role in strengthening the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law, which it said would help promote compliance with international law and peaceful settlement of disputes.
🇸🇰 Slovakia
Slovakia announced that the Slovak Republic, a current member of the Advisory Committee, had recently made a voluntary contribution of €10,000 to the program of assistance.
Slovakia underscored the importance of adequate, predictable and sustainable funding from the United Nations regular budget, saying voluntary contributions should complement rather than substitute regular budget resources.
🇬🇹 Guatemala
Guatemala stressed that international law does not enforce itself and that domestic law opens the door to its enforcement, so teaching and dissemination of international law are a condition for its effective incorporation into the domestic legal order.
Guatemala stated that Guatemala conceives international law from an aspirational perspective, and that teaching it can train specialists to support domestic implementation and to participate effectively in multilateral fora.
🇳🇬 Nigeria
Nigeria called for approval of the resources requested for 2027 in the regular budget for the program of assistance, stating that regular budget funding is the only guarantee of the program's continuity, after the liquidity crisis delayed planning of every 2026 training program.
🇸🇳 Senegal
Senegal commended the work carried out by the OLA, especially its codification division and division of maritime affairs and law of the sea, in implementing the program of assistance, and noted that the four training programs were carried out despite the liquidity crisis.
Senegal noted that demand remains much higher than supply, with 407 candidacies for 23 slots in the Regional Courses for Africa and 847 applications for 19 slots in the fellowship program, and called on the advisory committee to increase the number of fellowships.
Senegal called for efficient resourcing for the program for 2027 and further predictable yearly funding, stating that the liquidity crisis should not justify a weakening of this essential instrument.
🇸🇻 El Salvador
El Salvador stressed that capacity building strengthens cooperation and solidarity between nations, helps reduce asymmetries and sustain a stable and transparent international legal order, and that El Salvador attaches particular importance to the United Nations programme of assistance in the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law.
El Salvador expressed concern that the liquidity situation had significant repercussions on the regional course for Latin America and the Caribbean held in Santiago, Chile, owing to uncertainty on access to funds from the ordinary budget.
El Salvador called for exploring alternative measures to strengthen the programme's sustainability, considering contemporary topics in the curriculum such as national positions on the applicability of international law to cyberspace, and strengthening linguistic diversity of resources and accessibility of the audiovisual library.
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
Ethiopia stated that the programme of assistance is among the core functions of the United Nations and should get the same priority as other core functions in the allocation of funds during the liquidity crisis, and should be supported by regular budget funding.
Ethiopia emphasized equitable geographical representation and broad participation in the fellowship and regional training programmes, particularly for participants from developing countries, citing a big disparity between applications and fellowships awarded.
Ethiopia reaffirmed support for the continued implementation and further development of the United Nations Programme of Assistance, and commended the Advisory Committee and the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs.
🇲🇽 Mexico
Mexico welcomed the continuation of the programme, while recognizing that growing demand for training exceeds currently available opportunities and that measures to address this demand sustainably and equitably, in particular for professionals from developing countries, should be evaluated constantly.
Mexico proposed exploring cooperation with states and academic institutions to reduce costs, harnessing the alumni network as an international learning community, and using digital technology and new tools to expand reach and access to resources in different languages.
Mexico stated that Mexico will continue to support the programme and collaborate as a member of its advisory committee, and that its legal office will organize the 30th edition of a specialized international law workshop next February.
🇸🇬 Singapore
Singapore reaffirmed continued support for the program of assistance, which it said plays a critical role in strengthening the international rule of law, and commended the Codification Division for implementing activities despite the deteriorating liquidity situation.
Singapore expressed concern that the liquidity situation has adversely affected the planning and implementation of training courses, and underscored the importance of funding the program through the UN regular budget to ensure predictable funding.
🇧🇷 Brazil
Brazil commended the Office of Legal Affairs for the successful implementation of all four training programs under the program of assistance during the 80th session, including the regional courses and the International Law Fellowship Program.
Brazil supported continued regular budget funding for all training programs on an annual basis in an in personal format, as well as efforts to increase the number of fellowships granted each year.
Brazil stated that voluntary contributions are a positive and welcome source of additional funding but not an adequate substitute for predictable and consistent funding through the regular budget, and that the program of assistance should not bear the brunt of the liquidity crisis.
🇵🇾 Paraguay
Paraguay supported the recommendation of ensuring financial resources are available for the programme to continue, expand and adapt to current challenges, and urged all involved to ensure it is not negatively affected by the liquidity situation.
Paraguay reiterated its firm support to the assistance programme and the equitable distribution of its activity to all regions of the world.
🇷🇺 Russian Federation
Russian Federation noted with satisfaction that, despite financial and human resources constraints, the regional courses in international law for the Asia-Pacific region, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean had been maintained.
Russian Federation deeply regretted that the regional courses and the fellowship program had been impacted by budget restrictions, and hoped that the regular budget resources planned for 2027 would be fully allocated.
Russian Federation emphasized that voluntary contributions cannot replace stable financing for the programs from the regular budget.
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