Vietnam wins first-ever seat in UN International Law Commission

November 05, 2016 | 10:16

(0) user say

Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Nguyen Hong Thao has been elected as member of the United Nations International Law Commission with 120 out of 191 votes, marking Viet Nam’s first-ever seat in the Commission.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Nguyen Hong Thao has been elected as member of the United Nations International Law Commission

With 10 nominees, the Asia-Pacific region is allowed seven seats in the commission.

The International Law Commission was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1947 to promote the progressive development of international law and its codification.

Its work has led to the creation of a number of treaties and other works of international law that are key to the present international legal order, including the 1958 Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea.

The commission consists of 34 members, elected every five years to the position by the General Assembly from a list of candidates nominated by governments of UN member states, who operate independently of their respective governments.

Ambassador Nguyen Hong Thao is an expert in international law. He used to be deputy head of the National Border Committee, head of the negotiation teams on border agreements with neighboring countries, and a legal advisor to the drafting process of the 2012 maritime law.

He boasts 40 years of experience in the diplomatic field, and was Viet Nam's Ambassador to Malaysia in the 2011-2014 tenure. He is now Ambassador to Kuwait (since 2014).

The introduction of Ambassador Thao to the ILC demonstrates Viet Nam’s wish to make contribution to the development of international law and its codification, as well as promote the country’s integration policy.

VGP

What the stars mean:

★ Poor ★ ★ Promising ★★★ Good ★★★★ Very good ★★★★★ Exceptional