UN legal committee opens rule-of-law debate as delegates warn of eroding trust
Speakers at the UN’s Sixth Committee raised concerns about respect for international law and how national institutions make legal rights effective.
Review information is loading.
The UN General Assembly’s Sixth Committee opened its rule-of-law debate on 7 October, with speakers discussing how states uphold international obligations and how those obligations take effect within countries. [1]
Austria’s representative, speaking for the Group of Friends of the Rule of Law, said violations of international law by some states were eroding trust in multilateralism. If countries cannot count on agreed rights and obligations being honoured, predictability and trust diminish, he argued. [1]
China’s representative, speaking for the Group of Friends of Global Governance, described the post-war international order as facing instability amid regional conflicts, unilateralism and power politics. He called for the UN Charter to be upheld and international rules to be applied uniformly. Cuba’s representative, speaking for a group of like-minded states, objected to what he called attempts to replace the Charter’s principles with a “so-called rules-based order”. Belarus’s representative also rejected that approach and alleged selective application of international law. [1]
The discussion also addressed what the rule of law means for people seeking justice. Latvia’s representative, speaking for Estonia and Lithuania as well, linked justice delivered by national institutions to international accountability. The Dominican Republic’s representative, speaking for the Justice Action Coalition, said success should be measured not only by the existence of laws but by whether ordinary people can obtain fair and effective remedies. [1]
Sign in to give this article a thumbs up or down.
About this discussion and AI questions
Private test discussion. Comments are readers’ views and are not yet automatically fact-checked. Editing is available for 60 seconds after posting.
Sign in with a confirmed reader account and choose a username to read comments and participate.
Sorting applies to top-level comments; replies remain oldest first. New comments and likes can change the order. Refresh for the current ranking.
Loading comments…