Agenda Item 80: United Nations Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law
United Nations Headquarters
Mr. Chairman,
Cyprus associates itself with the statement delivered by the European Union and wishes to add the following remarks:
At the outset, I would like to thank the Secretary General for his Report regarding the implementation of the Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law. Let me also express our gratitude to the Codification Division which is responsible for the Programme’s implementation, and in this respect also pay special tribute to former Secretary of the Advisory Committee, Mrs. Virginia Morris, for the long standing service. Similarly, we would like to commend Ghana for its longstanding leadership of the Advisory Committee and renew our support to the Ambassador of Ghana as the Chair of the Committee.
Cyprus has been amongst the proponents of the Progamme since its inception and supports the view that the Programme continues to effectively contribute to the Rule of Law, through International Law training and through dissemination of legal knowledge and material, thus advancing the work of the United Nations.
Regular budget support for the 2016-17 biennium has been integral for the continuation of the Regional Courses in International Law and for sustaining and expanding the Audiovisual Library of International Law. We also welcome the efforts to identify regular venues for the Regional Courses, which could enhance cost-efficiency. With its continuous expansion, the Audiovisual Library of International Law offers now a wealth of information at no cost and in several languages. This fantastic tool continues to be an important resource for the legal community and practitioners, as well as students and historians.
We would also like to note with appreciation that the Codification Division continued to disseminate legal publications and information primarily through the Internet.
The Division has also undertaken commendable efforts in resuming desktop publishing activities, discontinued in 2017 due to lack of resources.
Further, the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship on the Law of the Sea, continues to contribute to the wider appreciation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the sea and in this regard to the work of DOALOS.
In closing, we encourage the Codification Division to continue to exert its best efforts to secure voluntary contributions to supplement program budget resources for the continuation of all activities.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.