On 17 March 2026, the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Ms. Elinor Hammarskjöld, delivered a statement at the 43rd Annual International Humanitarian Law Seminar jointly organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross and New York University’s School of Law. In doing so, the Legal Counsel continued an established tradition of the Legal Counsel of the United Nations addressing the seminar at its opening. The purpose of the seminar is to inform delegates from the Permanent Missions of Members States to the United Nations of recent developments as well as contemporary issues and challenges in the field of international humanitarian law.
