The United Nations General Assembly Sixth Committee, also known as the Legal Committee, was established in 1947. The Legal Committee is a primary forum that assists the General Assembly in implementing article 13 of the United Nations Charter, which focuses on the development and codification of international law by drafting legal tools and treaties. One early milestone achievement of the committee was the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948. Furthermore, the Legal Committee is in charge of receiving and reviewing the reports of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the Special Committee on the Charter of the United Nations and the Strengthening of the Organization, and the International Law Commission. Lastly, the committee promotes the development of international law by discussing the criminal responsibility of officials from the UN mission, the rule of law, and the scope of universal jurisdiction, among many others.

The right to privacy and its protection by the law has been maintained since 1948 by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR). Extending those same rights to online data protection, especially in the interest of protecting minors, has recently been an important international issue. On a global level, protecting personal data in the private and public sectors is most important. As technology is rapidly integrated into daily life, protecting individual data should be equally accessible to all, as it provides a safeguard for autonomy and equal economic footing. The second half of the online privacy equation is cybercrime, a growing and largely unregulated industry that, in 2021, was estimated to be worth USD 6 trillion. While many countries have strong legislation in place to protect user data, many newly online countries lack or are in the process of drafting their legislation. In their 2020 Global Cybersecurity Index, the International Telecommunications Union identifies legal, technical, and cooperative measures as key themes to address internationally and nationally. As technological development and data collection rapidly increase, transparent and adaptable international laws must be debated and adopted. It falls on the expertise of the Legal Committee to create standards for data privacy and cybersecurity that allow future generations to take full advantage of the internet while remaining safe and secure.

By 2050, it is estimated that between 216 million and 1.2 billion global citizens will be displaced by declining environmental conditions and extreme weather. According to the World Bank Group, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America are most vulnerable to environmental changes. All of these regions have areas of low water availability, poor crop yields, and coastal regions, which can be highly impacted by rising sea levels and storms. Water shortages in Sub-Saharan Africa have been especially damaging, with millions of people surviving on subsistence farming. Several important international documents, including the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, do not legally recognize those displaced by environmental change as refugees. Additionally, there is still no internationally accepted legal definition for people displaced by environmental changes, hindering efforts to provide aid and protection to displaced people. Establishing a solid legal status for climate change refugees will be essential to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To create effective legal frameworks, the UNHCR strongly recommends the protection of human rights be a focus when drafting legislation to assist environmentally displaced people. Building on existing legislation and establishing new standards will change the lives of hundreds of millions of displaced people and promote the success of the 2030 SDGs.