The Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations and the Federal Foreign Office of Germany organized the online conference ‘The UN at 75: Effective Multilateralism and International Law’ on 9 October 2020. Klaus Rackwitz and Dr. Viviane Dittrich, Director and Deputy Director of the Nuremberg Academy, attended the conference. Topics addressed included the evolution of international law since the establishment of the UN, the achievements of the UN in advancing international law and its future role in effective multilateralism. The conference brought together eminent scholars and practitioners from around the world. The three panels focused on topical themes: ‘United Nations in International Law at 75: The Role of the General Assembly and Its Subsidiary Organs (ILC, Sixth Committee) and the Importance of Academia’ (Panel 1), ‘The Contribution of International Courts to the Development of Iinternational Law’ (Panel 2) and ‘International Relations Based on International Law’ (Panel 3).
The conference was opened by Heiko Maas, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Christophe Eick, Director-General for Legal Affairs, Federal Foreign Office and Chairperson of the Foundation Board of the Nuremberg Academy, and Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel. Closing remarks were delivered by D. Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, UN Office of Legal Affairs.