Pakistan organises UNSC ‘Arria-formula’ meeting on sanctity of international treaties

Pakistan organised an “Arria-formula” meeting of the UN Security Council on the topic “Upholding the Sanctity of Treaties for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security”.

Drawing on historical and contemporary examples, including holding in abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the speakers warned that weakening international law risked collective security.

Speaking on the occasion, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad emphasised that the unilateral holding in abeyance of the Indus Waters Treaty by India constituted a serious violation of international legal obligations, with far-reaching humanitarian, environmental, and peace and security implications.

Recalling the August 2025 decision of the Court of Arbitration, he noted that these rulings reaffirmed that the Treaty remains in force and that its dispute-settlement mechanisms are binding. He cautioned that undermining such treaties set a dangerous precedent for agreements governing shared resources, borders, and confidence-building arrangements globally.

Member States participating in the discussion reaffirmed the centrality of treaties as instruments of stability and conflict prevention. They also highlighted the preventive role of the UN, including the Security Council, the Secretary-General and the International Court of Justice in safeguarding treaty compliance and reinforcing international rule of law.

The meeting featured a distinguished panel of briefers: Mr. David Nanopoulos, Chief of the Treaties Section, UN Office of Legal Affairs; Mr. 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 the Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University.

The briefers underscored that treaties were binding legal instruments, serving as stabilizing frameworks— particularly for managing shared natural resources, borders, and transboundary challenges. Drawing on historical and contemporary examples, including holding in abeyance of Indus Waters Treaty, the speakers warned that weakening international law risked collective security.