Egypt’s candidate, Ambassador Ahmed Fathallah, was elected member of the International Law Commission for the period from 2023 to 2027 after securing 159 votes in the elections at the UN premises in New York.
Established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1947, the International Law Commission is in charge of helping develop and codify international law.
The commission is made up of 34 experts with academic and legal expertise in the field of international law elected by the UNGA every five years.
Fathallah will represent Africa at the commission, thus reflecting the international community’s confidence in Egypt and its cadres, Egypt’s Permanent Representative to the UN Osama Abdel-Khalek said in a statement.
Egypt, as a UN founding country, is always keen to contribute to strengthening the rule of law at the international level, Abdel-Khalek said.
He added that strenuous efforts were exerted by Egypt to secure the votes needed for the Egyptian candidate to win this difficult election.
The International Law Commission, established in 1947, must include eight African nationals, seven Asia-Pacific nationals, three Eastern European nationals, six Latin American and Caribbean nationals, and eight nationals from Western Europe and other states, according to its website.
Members also include one national from African States or Eastern European states in rotation and another from Asia-Pacific states or Latin American and Caribbean states in rotation.
Fathallah succeeds Egyptian Ambassador Hussein Hassouna, a member of the Commission since 2007 and its vice-chair in 2012 and 2017.
