Statement under Agenda Item 85: Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organizations at the Sixth Committee of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly Date and venue: Friday, 12 October 2018 at Trusteeship Council Chamber
Mr. Chairman,
Bangladesh aligns itself with the Statement delivered by the Islamic Republic of Iran on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). We take note of the Report of the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and on the strengthening of the role of the Organisation and the corresponding reports of the Secretary General.
The year, the Committee got some momentum while considering the means for the pacific settlement of international disputes, in accordance with Chapter VI of the UN Charter of the UN. The thematic debate revolved around useful exchange of information on state practices regarding the use of negotiation and enquiry. The other means of dispute settlement, particularly those stipulated in Article 33 of the Charter, will be discussed at the subsequent sessions of the Committee.
We share the view that when the Committee exhausts its discussion in this connection, it would prove to be a good basis for advancing the appropriate application of the tools at the disposal of the UN for conflict prevention and sustaining peace.
Mr. Chairman,
Regrettably, there have been several items in the agenda of the Committee for consideration for several years including one since 1999. Few of these issues are already being addressed sporadically in other forums, yet the potential for the Committee to deal with these various issues in a cohesive fashion remains largely untapped. This needs to be reversed with the demonstration of necessary political will of all member states.
The Charter Committee has indeed added value to the ongoing debate on the merits and demerits of sanctions regimes, especially when they hurt the interest of civilians of the target state or third parties. The sanctions regimes are often couched in legal and technical provisions that pose different layers of challenges in compliance, depending on the legal and administrative contexts at the national level. We stress the importance of the Charter Committee’s continued discussions on the legal grounds and effects of sanctions.
Mr. Chairman,
We have taken careful note of the oral proposal by Mexican delegation on further elaboration of ‘right to self-defense’ under article 51 of the Charter. We would look forward to a written proposal.
To conclude, we reiterate the need for allowing the Committee to effectively consider proposals made by different delegations instead of deferring them year after year.
I thank you.