–in statement as Chair of UN Sixth Committee Session

AMBASSADOR Trishala Persaud, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Guyana to the United Nations, formally assumed her role as Chair of the Sixth Committee (Legal) of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.

In her opening statement, Ambassador Persaud pointed to the distinctive standing of the Committee among the General Assembly’s Main Committees, and to the central importance of international law in achieving the principles and purposes of the United Nations.

“The role of the Sixth Committee and its authority among Main Committees is unique, as is the central importance of international law for the achievement of the principles and purposes of the United Nations,” she said.

“In the preamble of the Charter, the Peoples of the United Nations reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and the determination of this Organization to establish conditions under which justice and respect for international law can be maintained.”

Noting that the Committee meets at a challenging time for multilateralism and international law, the Chair called on delegations to preserve its longstanding practice of consensus while responding to existing and emerging global issues.

She expressed confidence that substantive progress would be achieved this session in a spirit of co-operation.

Guyana’s chairpersonship of the Sixth Committee underscores the country’s steadfast commitment to promoting the rule of law and contributing to the UN’s mandate for the codification and progressive development of international law under the UN Charter.

The Sixth Committee is the primary forum in the General Assembly for the consideration of legal questions.