33-year-old lawyer Aniruddha Rajput, who has been elected as a member of the United Nation's International Law Commission, today said he doesn't wish to be its "status quo member" and that he would try to "codify new areas" of law.
The Pune-born is among the 34 individuals elected by the General Assembly as members of the ILC, the UN organ tasked with the progressive development of international law and its codification.
When asked if his presence would "strengthen" India's presence in the world body, he said, "India's presence and voice is already strong and it would now be further augmented."
The young Indian lawyer had won a hotly-contested election in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for membership to its top body of legal experts, garnering the highest number of votes in the Asia-Pacific group.
"I have made it very clear that I don't wish to be a status quo member of the organization (UNILC). I have said it very clearly that I wish to be a very active member of this organisation....I will contribute to what is already going and also try to codify new areas of law," he told reporters at a function here.
The newly elected members will serve five-year terms of office with the Geneva-based body beginning January 2017.
The 34 members have been elected from five geographical groupings - African, Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European states.
"I think.. When I am working hard I am also representing India to be working hard," he said.
When asked to respond on China's geo-political strategy in the region, he said, "I represent the values of the region. And, I think it will be highly inappropriate to single out any county and say that whether it is right or not."
"But, one thing always remains... Big powers are always expected to comply with the law. And, once they do that, it only results in international respect towards the law," he said.
When asked whether in matters of pollution, the UN can intervene, he said, "Every country has the right as to how it wants to run its environment. But, there are some issues which have a trans-boundary effect.
"And, if there is a trans-boundary involved... Which is a hot topic in South Asia, like some countries burn the forest and here is haze. A draft which is prepared by UNILC on trans-boundary. So, only in those cases where at least two countries are involved, it is applicable, otherwise not," he said.
"However, if the UNGA believe that the right to breath is to be codified, if all 193 members think so then, may be," he said.
The International Law Commission was established by the General Assembly, in 1947, to undertake the mandate of the Assembly.
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