Office of Legal Affairs

E15652

The Office of Legal Affairs is the United Nations’ central legal body, responsible for providing legal advice, drafting and interpreting international legal instruments, and supporting the organization’s rule-of-law and treaty-related activities.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United Nations office
legal body
alternateName OLA
UN Office of Legal Affairs
appliesToJurisdiction United Nations
employer United Nations Secretariat staff
field international law
law of the United Nations
public international law
treaty law
hasMainFunction draft international legal instruments
interpret international legal instruments
provide legal advice within the United Nations
support rule-of-law activities of the United Nations
support treaty-related activities of the United Nations
hasPart Codification Division
Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
General Legal Division
International Trade Law Division
Office of the Legal Counsel
Treaty Section
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Secretariat
hasRole central legal body of the United Nations
headquartersLocation New York City
United Nations Headquarters
isLedBy Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs
isResponsibleFor advising on agreements with member states and international organizations
advising on host country agreements
advising on the drafting and interpretation of General Assembly resolutions
advising on the drafting and interpretation of Security Council resolutions
advising on the legal status and privileges and immunities of the United Nations
assisting in the progressive development and codification of international law
depositary functions for multilateral treaties of the United Nations
maintaining the United Nations Treaty Collection
organizing treaty events at the United Nations
promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels
providing legal advice to United Nations organs
providing legal advice to United Nations specialized agencies on request
providing legal advice to the Secretary-General
providing legal support to United Nations peacekeeping operations
providing legal support to United Nations political missions
providing training and capacity-building in international law for member states
registration and publication of treaties and international agreements
supporting international criminal tribunals established by the United Nations
supporting mechanisms related to the law of the sea
supporting the International Law Commission
supporting the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly
parentOrganization United Nations
partOf United Nations Secretariat


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