International Law Commission

an auxiliary body of the UN General Assembly.

The composition and powers of the International Law Commission were established by a statute ratified by a resolution of the General Assembly on Nov. 21, 1947. According to the statute, the purpose of the commission is to promote the progressive development and the codification of international law. The commission consists of 25 members (“of recognized competence in international law”) who should as a body guarantee representation of the principal forms of civilization and the chief legal systems of the world. The members of the commission are elected by the General Assembly for a period of five years. They are chosen from a list of persons suggested by the governments of UN members. The first elections to the commission were held in 1948.

The Geneva multilateral conventions on maritime law (1958), the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963), and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) are among the treaties adopted on the basis of drafts made by the commission.