Andreas Mavroyiannis elected chairman of UN International Law Commission

Andreas Mavroyiannis, a career diplomat and former chief negotiator for the Cyprus problem, has been elected chairman of the United Nations International Law Commission. The election took place on Monday in Geneva during the opening of the 77th session of the commission. His term as chairman is scheduled to run until April 2027. The International Law Commission is a body of 34 independent experts tasked with the codification and development of international law. Along with Mavroyiannis, the bureau's new leadership includes Alioune Sall of Senegal as first vice-chair, Alina Orosan of Romania as second vice-chair, Rolf Einar Fife of Norway as chair of the drafting committee, and Claudio Grossmann Guiloff of Chile as special rapporteur. Discrepancies exist regarding the end date of his term between sources, with one indicating April 2025 and official reports stating April 2027. Mavroyiannis previously served as Cyprus' ambassador to the UN and the EU, and was a presidential candidate in 2023.