Lecture by UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares

In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, the UN Office of Legal Affairs has posted a lecture by Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, entitled “Seventy-Five Years of International Law-making at the United Nations.” The lecture is available in English, French, and Spanish. Here's the idea:

This lecture outlines the extraordinary contribution of the United Nations to the development, codification and implementation of international law in branches ranging from the law of treaties to the legal principles governing the protection and preservation of the marine environment, and criminal responsibility for grave violations of international humanitarian law. It pays particular attention to the areas of international law where the work of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, established in 1946, has directly contributed. The lecture concludes by looking ahead at the next twenty-five years and addresses some current and future issues where the United Nations can contribute to preserving and strengthening the international legal order.