Egypt was elected for a five-year term in the 34-member International Law Commission of the UN General Assembly on Friday, the foreign ministry said in a statement. "This [election] reflects international confidence in... Egyptian competence and expertise, particularly in the field of international law," the statement read. Egypt's stint in the Geneva-based legal body will begin on 1 January 2017 and concludes on 2022. The statement said that Egypt received 146 votes in the ballot held in the 193-member General Assembly, 49 more than the required 97 votes. The International Law Commission, established in 1947, must include eight African nationals, seven Asia-Pacific nationals, four Eastern European nationals, seven Latin American and Caribbean nationals, and eight nationals from Western Europe, according to its website. The legal body is mandated with undertaking "the promotion of the progressive development of international law and its codification," the Commission's website reads. Last week, Egypt was elected with a majority-vote for a three-year stint on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to begin in January 2017. In October 2015, Egypt secured a two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, which began earlier this year, while in early 2016 Egypt secured a seat on the African Union's Peace and Security Council for a three-year stint. Source: Ahram Online
