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United Nations
The United Nations Security Council is one of the main organizations in the United Nations and their main duty is to maintain international peace and security. The exact responsibilities and power of the United Nations Security Council has been outlined in the United Nations Charter. The United Nations Security Council has authority in matters of establishing peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization of military action. The United Nations Security Council consists of five permanent members; these are China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and United States. As a member of the United Nations Security Council, these countries have the power to veto any resolution. The five members of the United Nations Security Council were countries that emerged victorious after WWII. Furthermore, the members of the United Nations Security Council are also the only members that have been recognized for their possession of nuclear weapons under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, although this is not a prerequisite or condition. There are also rotating positions in the United Nations Security Council. There are ten non permanent members in the United Nations Security Council and they are chosen based on various regions of the world. At some point or another, … Continue reading
Public International Law
Public international law deals with the structure and conduct of states and intergovernmental organizations. Public international law may also affect multinational corporations and individuals. Public international law has increased in use and importance tremendously during the 20th century due to increase in global trade, armed conflict, environmental deterioration, human rights violations, international transportation, and a boom in global communications. Within public international law, there are two main branches. These are the law of nations and international agreements and conventions. In public international law, the framework and criteria for acknowledging states as the main actors in a legal system that goes beyond borders is established. These laws delve into areas such as acquisition of territory, state immunity, and the interaction between states and international laws. Public international law also has jurisdiction over matters such as group rights, the treatment of aliens, the rights of refugees, international crimes, nationality problems, and human rights. Furthermore, public international law also covers grounds such as global environment, the global commons such as international waters, outer space, global communications, and world trade. Within public international law, all states are sovereign thus considered equal. Public international law has a great deal of grey areas as there is … Continue reading
Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that was put forth by the United Nations. All 192 United Nation member states, and a minimum of 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by 2015. The Millennium Development goals include “reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS, and developing a global partnership for development.” The United Nations General Assembly convened for a special session to discuss the Millennium Development Goals in 2001. The Millennium Development Goals were put forth after the United Nations recognized the need to help developing nations more aggressively. The Millennium Development Goals aim to prompt development by improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries. The Millennium Development Goals were a result of prior international development targets and were officially established at the Millennium Summit in 2000, where all world leaders present adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration. There are 8 main chapters to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals which are: “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership … Continue reading
International Human Rights Law
According to freemylife.com, International human rights law is a system of laws, domestic, regional, and international designed to promote human rights. Human rights law is made up of various international human rights instruments which are binding to its parties. An important concept within human rights law is that of universal jurisdiction. This concept, is not widely accepted, is that any nation is authorized to prosecute and punish violations of human rights wherever and whenever that may have occurred. Some customary norms in human rights law are also recognized and these are considered binding on all nations, even if they have not ratified any relevant treaties. International human rights law is carried out on a domestic level and nation states that ratify international human rights law treaties, commit themselves to enact domestic human rights legislations. In addition to international human rights law, human rights law has been created on a regional level. These three main regional statutes regarding international human rights law are African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the American Convention on Human rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights. International human rights law is related to, but not the same as international humanitarian law, and refugee law. … Continue reading
International Criminal Court
The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. The International Criminal Court was established in July 1, 2002. This was the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court entered into force. Following the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals in 1948, it became apparent to the UN General Assembly that there as a need for permanent international court to deal with atrocities of the kind committed during WWII. At the request of the General Assembly, the International Law Commission drafted two statutes by the early 1950s however both were left aside due to the Cold War. This idea was then revived in 1989; by A.N. R. Robinson, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who proposed the creation of a permanent international court to deal with the illegal drug trade. While this was happening, there were several ad hoc tribunals to try war crimes in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, which further cemented the need for a permanent international criminal court. The International Criminal Court can only prosecute crimes committed on or after that date. The International Criminal Court is located in The … Continue reading
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice which is known colloquially as the World Court or the ICJ is the primary judicial function of the United Nations. It is headquartered in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. The main functions of the International Court of Justice or World Court are to give advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international organs, agencies, and the United Nations General Assembly, as well as to settle legal disputes submitted to it by member states .The ICJ is not the same as the International Criminal Court which also has “global” jurisdiction. The International Court of Justice was established in 1945 by the United Nations Charter. The World Court was the successor to the Permanent Court of International Justice which was the primary judicial body under the League of Nations. The International Court of Justice has a wide range of duties and though they have dealt with few cases in its history, there has been a clear and increased willingness to use the court since the 1980s especially among developing nations. According to the UN Charter, the Security Council has the authority to enforce World Court rulings provided it is agreed upon … Continue reading
International Humanitarian Law
International humanitarian law is also referred to as the laws of war, the laws and customs of war, and the law of armed conflict. International humanitarian law was comprised at both the Geneva and Hague Conventions as well as treaties, case law, and customary international law. International humanitarian law, “defines the conduct and responsibilities of belligerent nations, neutral nations, and individuals engaged in warfare, in relation to each other and to the protected persons, usually meaning civilians.” International humanitarian law is a system that member states are bound to as a result of various treaties. As stated above, modern international humanitarian law is composed of the law of The Hague, and the law of Geneva. The Law of The Hague refers to as the Laws of War proper. It determines the rights and duties of individuals in the conduct of operations and limits the choice of means in doing harm. Attempts to limit the atrocities committed during warfare only developed in the 19th century, therefore the basis of the law of The Hague was based on the fact that prisoners of war, civilians, etc. are to be treated humanely. The law of Geneva came from the Geneva Conventions which happened … Continue reading
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Founded under the name Helsinki Watch in 1978, the Human Rights Watch, was to ensure the former Soviet Union’s observance of the Helsinki Accords. As Helsinki Watch grew, it created various other “watch committees” to cover other regions of the world. In 1988, all other committees were united under one umbrella to form Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch is a strong defender of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it opposes violations of basic human rights which include capital punishment, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Human Rights Watch also speaks for fundamental human rights such as freedom of religion and the press. One of Human Rights Watch’s primary activities is the production of research reports regarding violations of international human rights norms as set out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and what it represents. Human Rights Watch researches conduct fact finding missions to investigate certain fishy situations and generate media coverage in local and international media. Issues that have been raised by Human Rights Watch in the past include gender discrimination, torture, … Continue reading
Human Rights
Human rights refer to basic rights and freedoms that all humans are inherently entitled to regardless of sex, creed, color, or anything else. Example of basic human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom of expression, equality before the law, social/cultural/economic rights, the right to food, the right to work, and the right to education. The protection of human rights has been an age old idea and there is evidence in old Persian texts and as recently as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. However, the international recognition of human rights is fairly recent. The main international norms in regards to human rights are International Humanitarian Law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. International Humanitarian Law came into being at the Geneva conventions and was meant to reduce war crimes. International humanitarian law, guaranteed basic human rights to prisoners of war or civilians in areas of combat. International humanitarian law protects human rights, and is upheld in the International Court of Justice. The next universally accepted norm in the field of human rights is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was composed after the creation of the United Nations. After the atrocities committed … Continue reading
Customary International Law
Customary international laws are the aspects of international law that derive from custom. Customary international law is a marriage between general principles of law, treaties and custom which is considered by the International Court of Justice, jurists, the United Nations, its members countries are the main sources for international law. Laws regarding war were an issue of customary international laws before it was codified during the Hague Conventions and the Geneva Conventions. Most world government accept customary international law, in principle if not in theory. However, there is a great deal of dissention regarding what customary international law is comprised of. In the Statue of the International Court of Justice, the existence of customary international law is agreed upon and it has been incorporated into the United Nations Charter. Customary international laws are agreed upon with widespread repetition by states of similar international acts over time, acts must also occur out of a sense of obligation, and lastly acts must be taken by a majority of states. Customary international law is comprised of rules of law that come from the the consistent conduct of states, therefore other than generally accepted principles of law, customary international law also gives some weight … Continue reading