HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s permanent missions to the United Nations (UN) in New York and Geneva recently sent diplomatic notes to the UN and countries informing them of the candidacy of Ambassador Nguyễn Hồng Thao to the International Law Commission (ILC) for the 2023-27 tenure, marking the official start of the Vietnamese candidate's campaign for re-election to the UN law organ.
In 2016, Ambassador Thao became the first Vietnamese to be elected as an ILC member. During the 2017-2022 tenure, he has promoted ILC’s research results, delivered speeches and joined discussions at the ILC.
He has also helped express developing nations’ interest in new and non-traditional topics and joined in discussions on topics such as protection of the atmosphere and environmental protection in armed conflicts. Notably, he has strongly supported the ILC’s research on rising seawater level and the addition of the issue to the committee's long-term working agenda.
With in-depth knowledge about laws on the sea and the environment, he made significant contributions to the first report of the research group on rising sea level in relation to international law last year.
Apart from valuable professional contributions, Thao has also played a role in fostering connections among ILC members to promote exchange between legal researchers and practitioners of international law at home and abroad. He also spoke at many universities and prestigious seminars in the region. In 2018, he was elected as the Second Vice Chairman of the ILC on the occasion of its 70th founding anniversary.
Due to his dedication to the progress of international law, he was nominated for a seat at the ILC for the 2023-2027 tenure, becoming one of the 10 candidates of Asia-Pacific. The ILC election will take place in New York in November 2021.
Ambassador Thao is a senior Vietnamese diplomat with 40 years of experience. He earned a doctorate degree in law from the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne and is now also teaching international law at the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam. — VNS