On 5 and 6 December 2024, the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs conducted two Seminars on Treaty Law and Practice at UN Headquarters in New York for representatives and legal advisers of Permanent Missions and as well as international organizations. The Seminars were conducted in English and in French and brought together participants reflecting a wide geographic distribution in a lively exchange.
The Seminar is designed to increase awareness of the diplomatic community on issues pertaining to the international treaty framework. It aims at facilitating the work of Member States in joining multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary General and registering treaties under Article 102 of the Charter. The members of the Treaty Section discussed the depositary functions of the Secretary-General, as well as the registration and publication of treaties. They also presented case studies, and actively engaged with participants in stimulating exchanges of views about treaty law and practice.
This year the Seminar also featured a guest presentation by a representative of the Department of Legal Matters of the International Court of Justice’s Registry on Advisory Proceedings of the International Court of Justice, and included a live feed from the ongoing hearing in the advisory proceeding on climate change taking place in the Hague.
In addition to the capacity-building workshops held twice a year at UN Headquarters in New York, the Treaty Section also conducts workshops upon invitation by Member States or interested organizations at the national and regional levels. Resolutions 76/120 of 9 December 2021 and 78/236 of 22 December 2023, the General Assembly invited states and interested organizations and institutions to make voluntary contributions towards the financing of regional and national workshops on treaty law and practice.
More information regarding the Treaty Section capacity-building programmes can be found on the United Nations Treaty Collection website.
