United Nations

The International Law Commission was established in 1947 with a view to carrying out the responsibility of the General Assembly, under article 13(1)(a) of the Charter of the United Nations, to “initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of ... encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification.” Since its first session in 1949, the Commission has considered a wide-range of topics of international law and made a number of proposals for its codification and progressive development, some of which have served as the basis for the subsequent adoption of major multilateral treaties. The Yearbook of the International Law Commission contains the official records of the Commission and is an indispensable tool for the preservation of the legislative history of the documents emanating from the Commission, as well as for the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of the efforts undertaken by the Commission in the progressive development of international law and its codification. Volume II (Part One) reproduces the edited versions of the official documents considered by the Commission at the respective annual session.

The International Law Commission was established in 1947 with a view to carrying out the responsibility of the General Assembly, under article 13(1)(a) of the Charter of the United Nations, to “initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of ... encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification.” Since its first session in 1949, the Commission has considered a wide-range of topics of international law and made a number of proposals for its codification and progressive development, some of which have served as the basis for the subsequent adoption of major multilateral treaties. The Yearbook of the International Law Commission contains the official records of the Commission and is an indispensable tool for the preservation of the legislative history of the documents emanating from the Commission, as well as for the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of the efforts undertaken by the Commission in the progressive development of international law and its codification. Volume I reproduces the summary records of the Commission's annual sessions.

The Yearbook of the International Law Commission contains the official records of the Commission and is an indispensable tool for the preservation of the legislative history of the documents emanating from the Commission, as well as for the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of the efforts undertaken by the Commission in the progressive development of international law and its codification. Volume I reproduces the summary records of the Commission's annual sessions.

The International Law Commission was established in 1947 with a view to carrying out the responsibility of the General Assembly, under article 13(1)(a) of the Charter of the United Nations, to “initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of ... encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification.” Since its first session in 1949, the Commission has considered a wide-range of topics of international law and made a number of proposals for its codification and progressive development, some of which have served as the basis for the subsequent adoption of major multilateral treaties. The Yearbook of the International Law Commission contains the official records of the Commission and is an indispensable tool for the preservation of the legislative history of the documents emanating from the Commission, as well as for the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of the efforts undertaken by the Commission in the progressive development of international law and its codification. Volume II (Part One) reproduces the edited versions of the official documents considered by the Commission at the respective annual session.

On the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations, the world has faced its biggest shared test since the Second World War in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Yet while our welfare, and indeed the permanence of human life, depend on us working together, international cooperation has never been harder to achieve. This report answers a call from UN Member States to provide recommendations to advance our common agenda and to respond to current and future challenges. Its proposals are grounded in a renewal of the social contract, adapted to the challenges of this century, taking into account younger and future generations, complemented by a new global deal to better protect the global commons and deliver global public goods. Through a deepening of solidarity—at the national level, between generations, and in the multilateral system—Our Common Agenda provides a path forward to a greener, safer and better future.

The Guide to Implementing the Biological Weapons Convention has been developed by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), with the support of the European Union and Norway and the contributions of a wide range of BWC experts, to assist States Parties in their efforts to implement the Convention at the national level. The Guide is primarily intended to provide an overview of the national implementation process and obligations stemming from the BWC. Its primary audience is States Parties initiating or already engaged in the BWC implementation process or States Parties interested in assessing their implementing framework. The Guide outlines the types of legislative, regulatory and other measures that States Parties may consider developing and adopting in order to effectively implement the BWC.

This legislative guide promotes an enabling legal environment for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). It is based on the premise that it is in the interests of States and of MSMEs that such businesses operate in the formal economy. The guide also reflects the idea that entrepreneurs that have not yet commenced a business may be persuaded to do so in the formal economy if the requirements for formally starting their business are not considered overly burdensome, It includes best practices from various parts of the world and 58 recommendations aiming at assisting States in streamlining their business registration procedures.

The UNCITRAL Practice Guide to the Model Law on Secured Transactions provides practical guidance to parties involved in secured transactions in States that enact the Model Law. The Practice Guide explains key features and benefits of the Model Law, illustrates the types of secured transactions that can be undertaken under the Model Law, and provides step-by-step explanations of how to engage in the most common and commercially important secured transactions. The Practice Guide is for readers who wish to understand transactions governed by, and in many cases made possible by, the Model Law. It provides guidance to creditors and debtors on how to engage in several common types of secured transactions, to others whose rights may be affected by a secured transaction, and to regulated financial institutions and prudential regulatory authorities.

People living in the Arab region face various forms of inequality, many of them linked to unequal exposure to life-cycle risks. By providing financial protection against these risks, social protection systems can address inequalities. To be fully effective, social protection systems must take into account the particular needs of specific vulnerable groups such as informal workers, women and girls, older and younger people, persons with disabilities and migrants. This fourth edition of the Arab Inequality Report describes how social protection systems in the Arab region have evolved in response to economic developments and external shocks, and examines the varying degrees to which these systems provide effective protection and reduce inequalities. It concludes with practical policy recommendations for countries to ensure that their social protection systems are effective and responsive.

This publication contains the text and the explanatory note of the UNCITRAL Model Law on the Use and Cross-border Recognition of Identity Management and Trust Services. This is the first model law at the global level that offers guidance on laws that enable identifying persons online and providing assurance of quality of data messages. Online identification and assurance of data quality are building blocks of the digital world and their international use is critical to ensure seamless cross-border dataflows. The explanatory note offers a detailed illustration of the 27 articles of the Model Law, building on the travaux préparatoires.

The Model Law on Recognition and Enforcement of Insolvency-Related Judgments (MLIJ) is designed to provide States with a simple, straightforward and harmonized procedure for recognition and enforcement of insolvency-related judgments and complements the UNCITRAL Model Law on Cross-Border Insolvency to further assist the conduct of cross-border insolvency proceedings.

The information in this package is intended to support prison administrators and staff. It has been developed to ensure the safety and security of staff, prisoners and the public in the efforts to prevent COVID-19 (coronavirus) from entering the prison and mitigate the impact in case of an outbreak. Addressing COVID-19 requires critical preparedness and a prepared response, particularly within places of detention (prisons). Prison staff play a crucial role in contributing to the effort of preventing the spread of the disease, promoting safer prison environments, and responding to outbreaks in a timely and effective manner. All efforts must be taken to keep COVID-19 out of the prisons. Preventative measures will most likely result in significant disruptions to ordinary prison routines and require the administration to make difficult decisions that may restrict or limit prison operations and activities. Responding to a COVID-19 outbreak once the virus has spread in the prison is a significant challenge – particularly in overcrowded conditions. The package provides communication tools with clear and concise information and visuals.

Technological advances have revolutionized communications, connecting people on a previously unthinkable scale. They have supported communities in times of crisis, elevated marginalized voices and helped mobilize global movements for racial justice and gender equality. Yet these same advances have enabled the spread of misinformation, disinformation and hate speech at an unprecedented volume, velocity and virality, risking the integrity of the information ecosystem. New and escalating risks stemming from leaps in AI technologies have made strengthening information integrity one of the urgent tasks of our time. This clear and present global threat demands coordinated international action. The United Nations Global Principles for Information Integrity show us another future is possible.

The purpose of this manual is to provide guidelines to data collectors to harmonize the Non-Tariff Measures data collection process and to minimize uncertainty during the process of categorization and classification. In doing so, the manual presents the logic behind the classification of NTMs, and it explains how to choose the most appropriate code.

The UNCTAD Toolbox contains information on our technical cooperation products that can assist countries in putting in place the policies, regulations and institutional frameworks and in mobilizing the resources needed to fulfil the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) issued supplementary reports on the availability of controlled substances for medical purposes in 1989, 1995, 2010, 2015 and 2018. In 2022, INCB has collected and analysed information from Member States and civil society to once again provide the international community with an update on the situation and to recommend remedial action. The data confirm the persistent disparities between regions in the consumption of opioid analgesics for the treatment of pain. Almost all such consumption is concentrated in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Consumption levels in other regions are often not sufficient to meet the medical needs of the population. These regional imbalances are not due to a shortage of opiate raw materials. Supply has been found to be more than sufficient to satisfy the demand reported to INCB by Governments, but it is evident that a large number of countries may not be accurately reflecting the actual medical needs of their populations in their reported demand, and hence the disparity in availability.

This synthesis publication contains lessons from assessments of interlinkages, trade-offs and benefits in managing water, energy and land/agriculture, as well as protecting the environment in transboundary basins in Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa. These have been drawn from the collective experience of Parties to the Water Convention and other States, joint bodies, as well as other stakeholders who participated in these nexus assessments. The synthesis publication consolidates the methodology for assessment of nexus issues and for identification of solutions in transboundary basins, developed under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes in 2013-2015.