His Excellency Dr Kamalinne Pinitpuvadol, Secretary-General of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO), undertook an official mission to Geneva from 13 to 17 July 2026 to participate in engagements aimed at strengthening AALCO’s cooperation with the International Law Commission and other leading international institutions.
The visit formed part of AALCO’s continuing efforts to enhance the contribution of Asian and African States to the progressive development and codification of international law, while expanding institutional partnerships in areas of direct relevance to its 49 Member States.
AALCO–ILC Working Group Meeting
On 15 July 2026, the Secretary-General participated in a Working Group Meeting with Members of the International Law Commission during its seventy-seventh session.
The meeting focused on two principal themes:
- the role of regional organizations in supporting the progressive development and codification of international law, including the dissemination and implementation of the work of the ILC, particularly in light of emerging challenges facing international law; and
- non-legally binding international agreements.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General highlighted AALCO’s unique role as a bridge between the International Law Commission and the countries of Asia and Africa. He outlined the Organization’s efforts to facilitate dialogue on topics before the Commission through its Annual Sessions, Legal Advisers’ Meetings, publications, capacity-building activities and high-level webinars involving ILC Members and Special Rapporteurs.
The discussion reflected strong appreciation among ILC Members for AALCO’s expanding role in disseminating the Commission’s work, promoting exchanges with government legal advisers and encouraging Member States to contribute written comments, national practice and responses to ILC questionnaires.
Members of the Commission also encouraged AALCO to continue organizing webinars, seminars and training programmes on current and emerging areas of international law. Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening the participation of Asian and African States in the Commission’s work and developing practical mechanisms for collecting and sharing State practice from the two regions.
The interaction further reaffirmed the longstanding partnership between AALCO and the ILC and generated several practical recommendations for deepening future cooperation.
Meeting with UNCTAD
During the mission, the Secretary-General met with Ms. Nan Li Collins, Director of the Division on Investment and Enterprise of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, and Mr. Hamed El Kady, Chief of the International Investment Agreements Section.
The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between AALCO and UNCTAD in the field of international investment law, particularly in relation to investment treaty reform, capacity-building and the dissemination of UNCTAD’s research and policy work among AALCO Member States.
The two sides discussed several possible areas of cooperation, including:
- AALCO’s participation in the High-Level International Investment Agreements Conference to be held in the context of the World Investment Forum in Doha in October 2026;
- AALCO’s contribution to UNCTAD’s forthcoming Guiding Principles on International Investment Agreement Reform;
- the participation of the Secretary-General in UNCTAD’s Multi-stakeholder Platform on IIA Reform; and
- the organization of a joint capacity-building webinar for AALCO Member States in early 2027, drawing on the findings of the World Investment Report 2026.
The discussions marked an important step towards establishing a more structured partnership between AALCO and UNCTAD for the benefit of developing countries in Asia and Africa.
Courtesy Call on the Director-General of the ICRC
The Secretary-General also paid a courtesy call on Mr. Pierre Krähenbühl, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, at ICRC Headquarters in Geneva. He was joined by Mr. Régis Savioz and other senior officials of the ICRC.
The meeting reaffirmed the strong and longstanding cooperation between AALCO and the ICRC, particularly in promoting the understanding, dissemination and implementation of international humanitarian law.
The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for the excellent cooperation between AALCO and the ICRC Regional Delegation in New Delhi, including the successful organization of the AALCO–ICRC Panel Discussion on International Humanitarian Law. He also commended Mr. Alfonso Verdu Pérez for his commitment and valuable support in advancing relations between the two institutions.
The discussions covered possible future cooperation in the areas of:
- joint seminars and webinars on contemporary international humanitarian law;
- capacity-building for government legal advisers, diplomats and officials from AALCO Member States;
- participation of ICRC experts in AALCO Annual Sessions and other activities;
- cooperation under the Global Initiative on International Humanitarian Law; and
- engagement with the forthcoming “Humanity in War Summit” to be hosted by Jordan in December 2026.
Both sides expressed their interest in identifying concrete activities to further deepen AALCO–ICRC cooperation.
Meeting with the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council
The Secretary-General met with H.E. Ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, President of the United Nations Human Rights Council and Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva.
The Secretary-General congratulated Ambassador Suryodipuro on his presidency of the Human Rights Council and exchanged views with him on the importance of constructive dialogue, multilateral cooperation, the rule of law and capacity-building in addressing contemporary international legal and human rights challenges.
He also recalled Indonesia’s historic connection with AALCO as one of its Founding Member States and expressed appreciation for Indonesia’s longstanding support for the Organization, including the successful hosting of the sixty-first Annual Session of AALCO in Bali in 2023.
The two sides discussed possible avenues for strengthening interaction between AALCO and the Human Rights Council, including cooperation on legal dialogue, training programmes and emerging issues at the intersection of international law and human rights.
The Secretary-General also sought Ambassador Suryodipuro’s advice on identifying appropriate ASEAN bodies and officials with whom AALCO could explore closer cooperation in the field of international law.
Bilateral Engagements with ILC Members
On the margins of the seventy-seventh session of the International Law Commission, the Secretary-General held bilateral discussions with several Members of the Commission on future cooperation with AALCO.
These exchanges addressed possible AALCO webinars on topics currently under consideration by the Commission, methods for encouraging greater contributions of State practice from Asian and African countries, and the importance of strengthening regular institutional dialogue between AALCO and the ILC.
During one such exchange, H.E. Ambassador Cissé Yacouba, Member of the ILC from Côte d’Ivoire, expressed his support for AALCO and kindly offered to assist in promoting Côte d’Ivoire’s prospective membership in the Organization.
Advancing AALCO’s International Partnerships
The official mission to Geneva provided an important opportunity to consolidate AALCO’s relations with the International Law Commission and to expand cooperation with UNCTAD, the ICRC and the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The visit also demonstrated the growing recognition of AALCO’s role as a regional intergovernmental organization capable of connecting international legal institutions with governments, legal advisers and experts across Asia and Africa.
Through these engagements, AALCO will continue to promote the participation of its Member States in the development of international law, strengthen capacity-building and knowledge-sharing, and build practical partnerships responsive to the evolving needs of the Asian-African region.
