On 16 March 2016, the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and the United Nations Legal Counsel, Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares, delivered a speech at the 33rd Annual Seminar on International Humanitarian Law for Diplomats Accredited to the United Nations which was jointly organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the New York University School of Law. This Seminar is held annually and is aimed at raising awareness of international humanitarian law and recent issues related to it amongst Member States. The overall theme of this year's Seminar was "Endless suffering in limitless wars: means and methods to secure better compliance with international humanitarian law". Mr. Serpa Soares, in his speech , emphasized that the issue of compliance with international humanitarian law is high on the agenda of the Secretary-General and the importance of the United Nations' contribution for better compliance with international humanitarian law.