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REFERENCE: LA/41/TR/220                                                                                     9 May 2001

 

                Excellency,


                         I have the honour to refer to the commitment made by the Secretary-General in his Millennium Report to the General Assembly (A/54/2000) to advance the international rule of law. In this report, he stated, inter alia, that support for the rule of law would be enhanced if countries signed and ratified international treaties and conventions. In his Annual Report to the 55th General Assembly (A/55/2001), he reaffirmed the Organisation's commitment to the rule of law as a "central priority".

                         During the successful treaty signature/ratification event, which was held in parallel with the Millennium Summit, from 6-8 September 2000, 273 treaty actions were undertaken by 84 states, many at the level of Head of State or Government. Encouraged by this public reaffirmation by states of their commitment to the international rule of law, it has been decided to organize a similar treaty event annually to enable states to undertake treaty actions in a solemn and high profile setting.

                        Accordingly, I have the honor to invite your government to make use of the opportunity provided by the Special Session on Children and the General Debate of the 56th Session of the General Assembly to sign and ratify or accede to those treaties, deposited with the Secretary-General, to which it is not already a party. Commencing on 19 September 2001 and continuing until 5 October 2001, special arrangements will be made in the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs for Heads of State or Government or Foreign Ministers, or any other duly authorized delegate to sign treaties or deposit instruments of ratification or accession.

.....                   To facilitate participation by your government in the treaty signature/ratification event, I am attaching a complete list of all treaties deposited with the Secretary-General as of 1 May 2001.

                        In his Proposed system-wide medium-term plan for the advancement of women 2002-2005 (E/CN.6/2001/4), the Secretary-General stated that "organizations of the United Nations system ... [will] support national efforts to ensure that gender perspective is applied in the development of legal frameworks, laws and public regulations." Accordingly, states are invited to pay special attention to multilateral treaties related to the advancement of women's rights deposited with the Secretary-General. A list of 23 treaties relevant to this theme and their status is attached. It is hoped that this event will inspire a renewed commitment by states for participation in treaties which seek to advance the goal of gender equity.

                        It would be appreciated if you would advise me by 1 September 2001 of your government's intention to sign/ratify or accede to any of the multilateral treaties, deposited with the Secretary-General. In order to enable us to make the necessary arrangements, including media coverage, it is requested that appointments be made well in advance of the intended date of the treaty action. For this purpose you may contact the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs at: Tel: 212-963-5047; Fax: 212-963-3693 or E-mail: untreaty@un.org.

                        Accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.

 

                                                                         

Hans Corell
Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs
The Legal Counsel

Letter from the Under-Secretary-General, The Legal Counsel
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