On 31 October 2019, the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in New York and the Council of Europe Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) organised a side-event in the framework of the “International Law Week” of the UNGA Sixth Committee at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the topic “The CAHDI and its Contribution to the International Law Practice”.

The members of the panel were Mr Petr Válek, the Director of the International Law Department at the Czech Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the CAHDI, Professor Pavel Šturma, Chair of the International Law Commission, and Ambassador Emil Ruffer, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the Council of Europe (CoE). Mr Jörg Polakiewicz, Director of Legal Advice and Public International Law at the CoE moderated the side-event.

The Chair of the CAHDI, Director Válek, presented to a full conference room the CAHDI’s activities and concrete results, including publications such as “CAHDI Contribution to Development of Public International Law: Achievements and Future Challenges”. Professor Šturma’s presentation focused on cooperation between the International Law Commission and CAHDI. Finally, Ambassador Ruffer shared practical information on the possibility of obtaining observer status to CAHDI for non-European UN members. In the discussion that followed, a number of states expressed their appreciation of various activities of the CAHDI, a Committee which forms a wide network of legal advisers and thus contributes to the development of international law.