The Role of the International Court of Justice as the Principal Judicial Organ of the United Nations is a thought-provoking and valuable addition to the existing literature on the ICJ. The book’s originality lies in that it provides both the student and practitioner of international law and relations with a comprehensive evaluation of important but hitherto neglected aspects of the work of the World Court.
This monograph provides an extensive analysis of the powers of judicial review exercised by the International Court of Justice with respect to judgments of the Administrative Tribunals of the International Labour Organization and the United Nations. The grounds on which these judgments can be challenged include excess jurisdiction, procedural errors and errors of law relative to the Charter of the United Nations. The system, however, suffers from a number of difficulties, including lack of procedural equality, the propriety of employing the Court's advisory jurisdiction in employer-employee disputes, and the nature of the activities of the Review Committee of the General Assembly. These problems are examined with a view to shedding light on the nature, scope and extent of the Court's powers of judicial review. The main study is preceded by an exhaustive survey of the genesis of the review system established by the Statutes of these Tribunals. Included also in this volume is an account of the informal and rudimentary judicial review arrangement the Court enjoys by way of its advisory and contentious jurisdiction with respect to institutional action other than that of UNAT and ILOAT judgments. When in 1995 the General Assembly abolished the UNAT review system, various considerations were in the forefront: a detailed survey of which is provided in the penultimate part of the book. Several significant themes are explored in the concluding chapter. These include issues dealing with the motivation for establishing the review system, the divisions within the Court and possible reform, as opposed to abolition, of the system.
This book provides a complete guide to the vital Advisory jurisdiction of the ICJ which is available to the UN General Assembly, Security Council and UN Specialised Agencies. Subjects such as Treaty interpretation, privileges and immunities, legality of nuclear weapons, the legality of the "Wall" built by Israel in respect of the Occupied Territories have featured in the ICJ's Advisory Opinions. The author explains why the Advisory Jurisdiction is a vital and important means for the continuous clarification and development of Public International Law. The book analyses the key features of an Advisory Opinion, the process and procedure for invoking the ICJ's jurisdiction, as well as the practice of the Court with reference to its leading Advisory Opinions. The reader will find a complete schedule of all requests and answers delivered by the ICJ and its predecessor the PCIJ since 1922, as well as the relevant Rules and Practice Directions of the ICJ. "The author..[has] achieved the considerable feat of producing a book which manages to avoid the twin perils of technicality and over-simplification." Sir Christopher Greenwood, GBE, CMG, QC (Judge, International Court of Justice, 2009-2018).
What is the current role of the International Court of Justice in contributing to the rule of law in the international community, and which future developments might enable it to have an even greater impact? These questions are explored in Enhancing the Rule of Law through the International Court of Justice, edited by Judge Giorgio Gaja and Jenny Grote Stoutenburg, Associate Legal Officer at the Court. Resulting from a conference celebrating the centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague, the volume brings together contributions from Judges of the Court, eminent scholars and "new voices". With contributions by: Ronny Abraham, Mohamed Bennouna, Antônio A. Cançado Trindade, Giorgio Gaja, Christopher Greenwood, Mariko Kawano, Marcelo Kohen, Chehrazad Krari-Lahya, Rosa Möhrlein, Hugh Thirlway, and Andreas Zimmermann
The International Court of Justice embodies a compromise between ideas of state sovereignty and pressures for a stronger 'international community'. This book elaborates on the Court's role in the international legal system, and argues that as a result of this tension, the Court's contribution to international law is subtle rather than progressive.
A successor to the League of Nation's Permanent Court of International Justice, the International Court of Justice was established in 1946 by the United Nations. Written during its early years, this incisive study outlines how the court functioned as an "instrument for the maintenance of international peace and security" and how it may function in the future. Though skeptical that the court would be a powerful institution, Lissitzyn believed its rulings would have a modest but notable effect on the development of international law. Long out of print, this essay was originally published in the Carnegie series United Nations Studies.
The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and plays a central role in both the peaceful settlement of international disputes and the development of international law. This comprehensive Commentary on the Statute of the International Court of Justice, now in its second edition, analyses in detail not only the Statute of the Court itself but also the related provisions of the United Nations Charter as well as the relevant provisions of the Court's Rules of Procedure. Five years after the first edition was published, the second edition of the Commentary embraces current events before the International Court of Justice as well as before other courts and tribunals relevant for the interpretation and application of its Statute. The Commentary provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of all legal questions and issues the Court has had to address in the past and will have to address in the future. It illuminates the central issues of procedure and substance that the Court and counsel appearing before it face in their day-to-day work. In addition to commentary covering all of the articles of the Statute of the ICJ, plus the relevant articles of the Charter of the United Nations, the book includes three scene-setting chapters: Historical Introduction, General Principles of Procedural Law, and Discontinuation and Withdrawal. The second edition of the Commentary adds two important and instructive chapters on Counter-Claims and Evidentiary Issues. The combination of expert editors and commentators, and their assessment of new developments in the important work of the ICJ, make this a landmark publication in the field of international law.
Since its birth with the creation of the international Red Cross in 1863, international humanitarian assistance has developed considerably since World War II. In accordance with the Red Cross principle of humanity, it aims at preventing & alleviating human suffering wherever it may be found, protecting life & health & ensuring respect for the human being. International humanitarian assistance involves a complex network of government agencies, intergovernmental & non-governmental organizations, & individual volunteers: it has been labelled a 'non-system'. While governments & intergovernmental organizations play a dominant & structured role in this field, the non-governmental organizations & their volunteers have proved to be their necessary operational partners, providing material, medical & moral relief & care wherever it may be needed, beyond borders, at the grassroots level. Following a brief review of recent humanitarian activities of intergovernmental organizations, & an analysis of current trends of voluntarism, this book focuses on the role, status & attitudes of the major humanitarian non-governmental organizations, including the Red Cross organizations, the British charities, Church-related agencies, medical volunteers (such as the 'French Doctors') & U.N. volunteers. Should humanitarian non-governmental organizations provide relief assistance with the Red Cross concern for discretion, neutrality & impartiality? Or should they bear witness & denounce publicly human rights violations, at the risk of being expelled from recipient countries & having to stop their assistance? The controversial claim of a 'right' to receive & a 'duty' to provide humanitarian assistance beyond borders is also addressed, as well as the possible need for a status to be accorded to international volunteers.
