Dr. Nguyen Lan Anh, Director of the East Sea Institute, running for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

For the first time, Vietnam has nominated Dr. Nguyen Lan Anh, Director of the East Sea Institute, to run for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term.

In recent days, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, the United States, the International Legal Affairs Committee (Committee 6) of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly held a plenary discussion on the topic of promoting the rule of law at national and international levels, with the participation of many representatives of United Nations member states and observers. Participating in the discussion at the session, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the United Nations, stated that the responsibility of promoting and maintaining the rule of law at all levels must be shouldered jointly by all United Nations member states. This is the key to building trust, strengthening commitment and consolidating multilateralism. The Ambassador affirmed that Vietnam has actively participated in these processes and achieved many results in perfecting the law and judicial system in the country.

Scene of the general discussion session of the International Legal Affairs Committee (Committee 6) of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: VOV

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang stated that Vietnam resolutely maintains the principled stance that all disputes must be resolved by peaceful means, in accordance with international law. Based on the above stance, Vietnam expressed concern over recent developments in the East Sea, calling on all relevant parties to fully implement their obligations under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), respect the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), exercise restraint, peacefully resolve disputes and respect diplomatic and legal processes. Vietnam is committed to fully implementing the DOC and continuing to actively discuss with other countries to soon complete a substantive, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS. The Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam affirmed that following the process of active participation in international legal forums in recent times, Vietnam has for the first time nominated Dr. Nguyen Lan Anh, Director of the East Sea Institute, to run for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term with the desire to continue to contribute more to efforts to strengthen the rule of law globally./.

Cong Dao