After a two year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic during which meetings could only be held virtually, the informal network of the Legal Advisers of the specialized agencies and the related and other organizations of the United Nations System and the network of the Legal Advisers of the United Nations Offices, Funds and Programmes met again in-person from 20 to 22 April 2022 in Madrid, Spain. The meetings were hosted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization, through its Legal Counsel, Ms. Alicia Gomez, and were chaired by the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, as is tradition. The purpose of the network meetings is to provide a forum for discussion of legal issues of common interest and concern to the Legal Advisers of the participating entities, to improve coordination and communication among the Legal Advisers and to promote system-wide legal coherence. Topical issues on this year’s agenda ranged from the legal aspects of the situation in Ukraine, to the latest developments regarding the respect for the UN’s privileges and immunities, all the way to the “new way of working” in a post-pandemic situation of our working environment.
A joint session of the members of both networks was addressed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili. The meetings benefitted from the kind hospitality and support by the Government of the Kingdom of Spain and the Community of Madrid which hosted a reception in honour of the Legal Advisers and provided an excellent cultural framework programme.
