Weak enforcement of existing legal protections posed the main challenge to diplomatic safety, Bahrain said on behalf of the Gulf Cooperation Council in an account published by the United Nations.
The United Nations published “Sixth Committee Considers Diplomatic Protection, Internal Justice, International Trade in Wide-Ranging Debate” on Oct. 20. Bahrain said cross-border attacks, cyberthreats and incitement on social media had increased the burden on countries hosting diplomats.
The problem was no longer a shortage of legal rules but inadequate mechanisms to ensure compliance, Bahrain said. The European Union said threats and attacks against diplomatic premises continued during armed conflicts, including deliberate attacks affecting its own diplomatic presence.
Host countries should continually assess risks and take appropriate protective measures, the EU representative said. Belgium said its experience hosting international organizations and diplomatic missions showed that protection required cooperation among national and local authorities, intelligence agencies, police and security services.
The UN’s treatment of its own employees also affected its credibility, Saint Kitts and Nevis said for the Caribbean Community. The representative said the internal justice system must offer independent, impartial and accessible proceedings, along with timely remedies.
The UN Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services handled 2,201 cases in 2025, the Caribbean Community representative said. The office also conducted 127 mediations that year, she said, welcoming its efforts to resolve disputes informally.
Zambia said the UN’s cash shortage had reduced the quality of legal representation and delayed cases. Budget constraints would continue to hamper justice in 2027, its representative said, supporting the Internal Justice Council’s recommendation to provide adequate resources for the ombudsman.
The United States said informal dispute resolution often offered the most effective approach and had saved staff time and money. Its representative supported the council’s recommendation to drop further consideration of a judicial mediation mechanism, including a pilot programme.
On international trade, Panama said efforts to bring national laws into closer agreement must preserve countries’ authority over their own rules. Reforms should protect investors’ legitimate rights while ensuring that those deciding disputes remained independent and impartial, its representative said.
Haiti said developing countries with limited institutional, technical and financial resources needed help understanding and implementing shared trade rules. Panama said a planned advisory centre for international investment disputes could help countries overcome unequal access to legal expertise and institutional support.
Indonesia welcomed flexible rules allowing countries to agree on procedures for resolving investment disputes. Singapore said electronic arbitration notices and recognition of electronic awards could make proceedings more efficient, while Japan said it had funded UN work on dispute resolution in the digital economy.
