Pakistan Highlights Importance of Treaty Obligations at UN Security Council Session
Pakistan organized an Arria-formula meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the theme “Upholding the Sanctity of Treaties for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security,” drawing participation from Security Council members and UN Member States representing all regions.
The meeting featured a distinguished panel of briefers, including David Nanopoulos, Chief of the Treaties Section at the UN Office of Legal Affairs; Ahmer Bilal Soofi, President of the Research Society of International Law and former Federal Law Minister of Pakistan; Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, President of the International Peace Institute and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; and Professor Adil Najam, Dean Emeritus and Professor of International Relations at Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies.
The briefers emphasized that treaties are binding legal instruments that function as stabilizing frameworks, particularly in the management of shared natural resources, borders, and transboundary challenges. Referring to historical and contemporary examples, including the holding in abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty, the speakers warned that any erosion of international law posed risks to collective peace and security.
Addressing the meeting, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated that India’s unilateral decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance constituted a serious breach of international legal obligations. He highlighted the far-reaching humanitarian, environmental, and peace and security implications of such actions. Recalling the August 2025 decision of the Court of Arbitration, he noted that the rulings reaffirmed the continued validity of the Treaty and confirmed that its dispute settlement mechanisms remain binding.
Ambassador Ahmad cautioned that undermining treaty-based frameworks set a dangerous precedent for agreements governing shared resources, borders, and confidence-building measures worldwide.
Participating Member States reaffirmed the central role of treaties as instruments of stability and conflict prevention. They also underscored the preventive responsibilities of the United Nations system, including the Security Council, the Secretary-General, and the International Court of Justice, in safeguarding treaty compliance and strengthening the international rule of law.
The Security Council meeting convened by Pakistan was widely welcomed as a timely and substantive contribution to global efforts aimed at reinforcing treaty-based cooperation and preventing the erosion of international legal norms.
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