Cambodia urges respect for treaties, backs ICJ at UN Security Council meeting

Cambodia urges respect for treaties, backs ICJ at UN Security Council meeting

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2026 — Cambodia called on states to uphold international treaties and resolve disputes peacefully, encouraging recourse to the International Court of Justice, during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday.

Speaking at an Arria Formula meeting of the United Nations Security Council on “Upholding the Sanctity of Treaties for the Maintenance of International Peace and Security,” Cambodia’s UN ambassador Keo Chhea said treaties were central to legal certainty, mutual trust and global stability.

He warned against attempts to bypass binding treaty obligations on the basis of domestic law, stressing that states cannot invoke internal legal considerations to justify unilateral withdrawal from treaties in force.

Cambodia also urged parties to pursue peaceful dispute resolution and called for good-faith implementation of rulings by the International Court of Justice, in line with Article 94 of the UN Charter.

The meeting, held at UN headquarters in New York, was organised by Pakistan’s permanent mission.