Bimal Patel Elected to International Law Commission for Five-Year Term

New Delhi: Professor Bimal Patel, vice-chancellor of the Rashtriya Raksha College and member of the National Security Advisory Board of India, has been elected to the International Legislation Fee for a 5-yr phrase, in a challenging-fought election at the United Nations.

“Hearty felicitations to Prof Bimal Patel @RakshaUni for election to Global Law Fee by topping the team,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, tweeted on Friday, thanking all UN member states for the support to India’s candidature.

Patel, 51, garnered 163 votes in the UN Common Assembly out of 192 associates current and voting, topping the Asia-Pacific team that provided candidates from China, South Korea and Japan. He will provide a five-yr term setting up January 1, 2023.

In the Asia-Pacific team, there ended up 11 strong candidates vying for 8 seats, producing the election hotly contested.

“Professor Bimal Patel of India is elected to the ILC for a 5-yr term. Our contribution to ILC will reflect the commitment to uphold regulations-primarily based intercontinental get, underpinned by Rule Of Legislation,” India’s Lasting Mission to the UN tweeted, in the backdrop of growing world wide problem more than China’s navy muscle mass-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region.

Heartfelt gratitude to all international locations who reposed their have confidence in in India’s prospect with the maximum votes in Asia-Pacific Group, the mission stated.

India topped the group with 163 votes for Patel, followed by 162 votes for Thailand, 154 for Japan, 145 for Vietnam.

China could take care of 142 votes, followed by 140 for South Korea, 139 for Cyprus and 123 for Mongolia.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas. Beijing has also manufactured substantial development in militarising its man-designed islands in the previous several a long time.

Beijing statements nearly all of the 1.3 million sq.-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been constructing armed service bases on artificial islands in the location which, in components, is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Beijing has impeded industrial action like fishing and mineral exploration by neighbouring nations in recent many years, declaring the possession of the resource-abundant maritime territory belongs to China for hundreds of many years.

Patel is an esteemed educationalist, jurist and administrator and throughout his specialist occupation of about a few decades, he has served in several roles such as the director at the Gujarat Countrywide Regulation College and member of the 21st Regulation Commission of India.

He has worked for 15 years at international organisations these as the United Nations of Youth and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the Hague, Netherlands, according to his profile on the Rashtriya Raksha College web site.

The Intercontinental Regulation Commission was proven by the Normal Assembly in 1947 to undertake the mandate of the Assembly to “initiate research and make tips for the reason of encouraging the progressive advancement of worldwide regulation and its codification.”

The Statute of the International Law Fee gives that the Fee shall consist of 34 customers who shall be individuals of recognised competence in intercontinental law.

The customers of the fee are to be elected by the General Assembly from a record of candidates nominated by the governments of states associates of the United Nations.

(PTI)