On 29 September 2022, the United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, was invited to participate in a conference celebrating the 300th anniversary of the establishment of the function of legal adviser of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France.听 The conference took place at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris.听 In his remarks听on the role of law at the United Nations, he first addressed the role of the Office of Legal Affairs at the United Nations, also in light of the historical precedent of the Legal Section in the Secretariat of the League of Nations; he then discussed the role of the United Nations in the progressive development and codification of international law.