Ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud was elected on Monday as head of the UN International Law Commission during its 72nd session that is being held in Geneva.

This is the first time that a Jordanian and an Arab has been elected as head of the commission since its establishment more than seven decades ago, a Foreign Ministry statement said on Tuesday.

The commission is entrusted with developing international law and has previously structured several international conventions and agreements, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.