Sixth Committee (Legal) — 80th session
Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-sixth session (Agenda item 80)
- Authority: resolution 79/121
- Proposed Cluster Distribution for debate on the ILC report
- Attendance of ILC members
- List of speakers: Cluster I | Cluster II
Documentation
- 2025 ILC Report (final version)
- A/C.6/80/L.21 — Draft resolution
Summary of work
Background (source: A/80/100)
At its second session, the General Assembly, under the agenda item entitled “Establishment of an International Law Commission”, resolved to establish the International Law Commission, with a view to giving effect to Article 13, paragraph 1 (a), of the Charter of the United Nations and with the objective of promoting the progressive development of international law and its codification (resolution 174 (II)). The statute of the Commission, annexed to resolution 174 (II) (subsequently amended in resolutions 485 (V), 984 (X), 985 (X) and 36/39), provides that the Commission should submit reports to the Assembly.
At its fourth session, the Assembly adopted the resolution entitled “Approval of part I of the report of the International Law Commission covering its first session” (resolution 373 (IV)). The Assembly has had the item entitled “Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its … session” on its agenda since its sixth session (resolution 601 (VI)).
At its seventy-ninth session, the Assembly decided that the next session of the International Law Commission should be held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 14 April to 30 May 2025 and from 30 June to 31 July 2025, and stressed the importance of having a 12-week session for the seventy-sixth session of the Commission. The Assembly recommended that the debate on the report of the Commission at the eightieth session of the Assembly commence on 27 October 2025. Moreover, the Assembly reiterated its endorsement of the request of the Commission that the Secretariat proceed with the necessary administrative and organizational arrangements to facilitate the holding of the first part of the seventy-seventh session of the Commission in New York (resolution 79/121).
Consideration at the eightieth session
The Sixth Committee considered the item at its 26th to 37th meetings, and at its 38th meeting, from 27 to 14 November, and 21 November 2025. The views of the representatives who spoke during the Committee’s consideration of the item are reflected in the relevant summary records (See A/C.6/80/SR.26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38).
The Chair of International Law Commission at the seventy-sixth session, Mr. Mārtiņš Paparinskis, introduced the report of the Commission on the work of that session at the 26th meeting, on 27 October. The Committee considered the report in two clusters, namely: cluster I (chapters I, II, III, IV (Sea-level rise in relation to international law), VI (General principles of law), and XII (Other decisions and conclusions)) at its 26th to 31st meetings, from 27 to 31 October; and cluster II (chapters V (Immunity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction), VII (Subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law), VIII (Settlement of disputes to which international organizations are parties), IX (Non-legally binding international agreements), X (Prevention and repression of piracy and armed robbery at sea), and XI (Succession of States in respect of State responsibility)) at its 31st to 37th meetings, from 31 October to 14 November.
Statements were made by the representatives of Algeria (I | II ), Argentina (I | II ), Australia (I | II ), Austria, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belarus (I | II), Brazil (I | II), Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria (I | II), Cameroon (on behalf of the African Group), Cameroon, Canada, Chile (I | II), China, Colombia, Costa Rica (I | II), Croatia (I | II), Cuba, Cyprus (I | II), Czechia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt (I | II), El Salvador (I | II), Eritrea, Estonia (I | II), European Union (on behalf of the European Union and its member States) (I | II), Fiji, Finland (on behalf of the Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden)), France (I | II), Germany (I | II), Greece (I | II), Guatemala (I | II), Guinea (I | II), India (I | II), Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran (I | II), Ireland (I | II), Israel (I | II), Italy (I | II), Jamaica (I), Japan (I | II), Latvia, Lebanon (I), Liechtenstein, Lithuania (I | II), Malaysia (I | II), the Maldives, Mexico (I | II), the Federated States of Micronesia (I | II), Monaco (I), Mongolia (I), the Kingdom of the Netherlands (I | II), New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman (on behalf of the Arab Group), Palau (on behalf of AOSIS), the observer of the Observer State of Palestine (I | II), and the representatives of Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines (I | II), Poland (I | II), Portugal (I | II), the Republic of Korea (I | II), Romania (I | II), the Russian Federation (I | II), Serbia, Sierra Leone (I | II), Singapore (I | II), Slovakia (on behalf of S3 (Austria, Czechia and Slovakia)), Slovakia, Slovenia (I | II), Solomon Islands (on behalf of The Pacific Island Forum Group), South Africa (I | II), Spain (I | II), Sweden (on behalf of the Nordic Countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden), Switzerland (I | II), Thailand (I | II), Timor-Leste, Türkiye (I | II), Tuvalu (on behalf of Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS)), the United Arab Emirates (I | II), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (I | II), the United States of America, and Viet Nam.
Statements were also made by the observers of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization and the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.
The Special Rapporteur on the topic “Immunity of State officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction”, Mr. Claudio Grossman Guiloff; the Co-Chair of the Study Group on the topic “Sea-level rise in relation to international law”, Ms. Nilüfer Oral; the Co-Chairs of the Study Group on the topic “Sea-level rise in relation to international law”, Ms. Patricia Galvão Teles and Mr. Juan José Ruda Santolaria; the Special Rapporteur on the topic “Non-legally binding international agreements”, Mr. Mathias Forteau; the Special Rapporteur on the topic “Subsidiary means for the determination of rules of international law”, Mr. Charles Chernor Jalloh; the Special Rapporteur for the topic “Prevention and repression of piracy and armed robbery at sea”, Mr. Louis Savadogo, spoke.
The President of the International Court of Justice made a statement.
The Chair of the International Law Commission at its seventy-sixth session, Mr. Mārtiņš Paparinskis, made some remarks.
A summary of the discussions on this agenda item may be found in the Topical summary of the discussion held in the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly, during its eightieth session, prepared by the Secretariat.
Archived videos and summaries of plenary meetings
26th meeting (27 October 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
27th meeting (28 October 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
28th meeting (29 October 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
29th meeting (29 October 2025, 3:00pm – 4:30pm) | Summary
30th meeting (30 October 2025, 3:00pm – 6:00pm) | Summary
31st meeting (31 October 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
32nd meeting (31 October 2025, 3:00pm – 6:00pm) | Summary
33rd meeting (3 November 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
34th meeting (3 November 2025, 10:00am – 11:00am) | Summary
35th meeting (7 November 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
36th meeting (7 November 2025, 3:00pm – 4:00pm) | Summary
37th meeting (14 November 2025, 10:00am – 1:00pm) | Summary
38th meeting (21 November 2025, 10:30am – 1:00pm) | Summary
Action taken by the Sixth Committee
At the 38th meeting, on 21 November, the representative of El Salvador, on behalf of the Bureau, introduced a draft resolution entitled “Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-sixth session” (A/C.6/80/L.21). At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.6/80/L.21 without a vote. The representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation spoke in explanation of position after the adoption of the draft resolution.
Under the draft resolution entitled “Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its seventy-sixth session”, the General Assembly would, inter alia, express its appreciation to the Commission for the work accomplished at its seventy-sixth session, welcome the completion of the work of the Commission on the topic “Sea-level rise in relation to international law” and take note of its adoption of the final report of the Study Group on the topic and, without setting a precedent, decide to continue its consideration of the legal aspects of the topic during its consideration of the report of the Commission on the work of its seventy-seventh session. The Assembly would take note of the inclusion of new topics in both the Commission’s programme of work and its long-term programme of work and recommend that the Commission continue its work on the topics in its current programme, taking into account the comments and observations of Governments. The Assembly would emphasize that no precedent has been established by the reduction of the length of the seventy-sixth session of the Commission and decide that the seventy-seventh session of the Commission shall be held from 20 April to 29 May 2026 or from 27 April to 5 June 2026 and from 29 June to 7 August 2026, at United Nations Headquarters in New York or at the United Nations Office at Geneva, with due consideration given to facilitating the participation of Member States and to the most cost-effective location and would stress the importance of having a twelve-week session in two parts. It would also decide, without prejudice to the budgetary prerogatives of the Fifth Committee or to the authority of the Secretary-General, that no exceptional measures affecting the duration of the seventy-seventh session should be taken by the Secretariat without consultation with the Bureau of the Sixth Committee.Subsequent action taken by the General Assembly
This agenda item will be considered at the eighty-first session (2026).
