Mr. Chairman,

China supports the statement by Egypt on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We thank the Secretary-General of the United Nations for his report on the agenda item “The United Nations Program of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law”, and appreciates the effective work by the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and other relevant UN agencies to implement the Program of Assistance.

Since its inception in 1965, the Program of Assistance has, for more than half a century, provided important support for the teaching, study and application of international law and has played an irreplaceable role in promoting the capacity-building of countries, especially developing countries, in the field of international law. The past year saw steady progress in the implementation of the Program of Assistance. The International Law Fellowship Program has provided comprehensive training for professionals from more than 20 developing countries and emerging economies. The United Nations regional international law courses were held in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, in which many renowned experts in the field of international law research and practice were invited to give lectures. The selection of participants in the training courses takes into account gender equality. All this is much appreciated by all sides. With further work in the United Nations International Law Audiovisual Library, online resources have been continuously enriched. The Codification Division of OLA has published the English and French versions of the Handbook of International Law and we hope that versions in other UN official languages​of will be published soon. China, on the whole, is satisfied with the progress made in the Program of Assistance.

Mr. Chairman,

China has always attached great importance to the teaching and study of international law and actively supported the Program of Assistance with actions. The Chinese government has been contributing to the Program of Assistance for many years, covering multiple projects. In 2018, the Chinese government contributed US$20,000 to fund the international law courses in the Asia-Pacific and Africa regions under the program.

China has also directly supported the capacity-building of Asian and African countries in the field of international law through cooperative projects. In July 2015, the Chinese government launched the “China-AALCO Exchange and Research Program on International Law”, which has successfully held four training courses so far. In September 2018, the Department of Treaty and Law of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Institute of International Law of Wuhan University and the Asian Academy of International Law in Hong Kong jointly organized the fourth training course that helped trained more than 40 legal officials from Asia, Africa, AALCO, African Union and other international organizations respectively in Beijing and Hong Kong with positive feedback.

Mr. Chairman,

Effective implementation of the Program of Assistance requires the joint efforts of the international community. China is willing to work with other parties to continue to provide support to the program, contribute to the teaching, study and dissemination of international law, and to enhance the capacity building of developing countries in the field of international law.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.