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INTERNATIONAL LAW

Introduction

Courts and Tribunals Principal Legal Bodies of the United

Nations
International Court of Justice
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Sixth Committee of the General Assembly
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former
Yugoslavia International Law Commission
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
International Criminal Court United Nations Commission on International
United Nations Administration of Justice Trade Law

Legal Documentation Treaties

INTRODUCTION

International law is a primary concern of the United Nations. The mandate for the
activities in this field emanates from the Charter of the United Nations which, in its
Preamble, sets the goal "to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the
obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be
maintained".

COURTS AND TRIBUNALS

International Court of Justice (ICJ) ("World Court")

The International Court of Justice (http://www.icj-cij.org/), located in The Hague
(Netherlands), is one of the six major organs of the United Nations. The Court, in
existence since 1946, serves as the successor to the Permanent Court of International
Justice established by the League of Nations and derives its mandate from a Statute
which forms an integral part of the Charter of the United Nations. The Court has two
functions: to render judgments on disputes submitted to it by States and to furnish
advisory opinions on questions referred to it by authorized bodies.

ICJ decisions first appear as separate documents and are later republished in annual
compilations in the series Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders, to
which ICJ sales numbers are assigned. The Court's website has extensive information
about ICJ cases from 1946 onwards, often including an overview or summary of
judgments and orders. The documentation for each case includes the document
instituting proceedings, written pleadings, oral arguments, correspondence and other
relevant documents. These materials are made public, after the Court has given its final
decision, in the series Pleadings, Oral Arguments, Documents in the language of
submission (English or French) only.
 The annual reports of the ICJ to the General Assembly are issued as supplement
number 4 to the Official Records of the General Assembly (e. g., A/65/4). A
complete list of the reports can be found in the UN-I-QUE database.

United Nations Headquarters press releases, issued under the series symbol
ICJ/-, can be retrieved through the search option at the Press Releases website;
those originating from The Hague are accessible from the Court's Press Room.

Major publications detailing the work of the ICJ:

The latest versions of the basic legal documents relating to the organization of
the Court are posted on its website. Printed editions of this material appear in the
series Acts and Documents.

The International Court of Justice Yearbook contains information about the

basic texts governing the work of the Court, its members (with biographies),
organization, jurisdiction, functioning, administration and finances in a given year.
The texts of declarations recognizing the jurisdiction of the ICJ are reproduced in
full; other relevant instruments are listed. Judgments and advisory opinions given
during the course of the year are summarized. A complete list of the Yearbooks
can be found in the UN-I-QUE database.

The Summaries of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders of the

International Court of Justice condense the case-law of the ICJ and are
available online.
1948-1991 (Document symbol: ST/LEG/SER.F/1; Sales number: 92.V.5),
1992-1996 (Document symbol: ST/LEG/SER.F/1/Add.1; Sales number: 97.V.7),
1997-2002 (Document symbol: ST/LEG/SER.F/1/Add.2; Sales number: 03.V.12).

The Bibliography of the International Court of Justice, published annually and

assigned an ICJ sales number, lists publications relating to the Court which have
come to the attention of the Registry during a given year. The Bibliography
formed part of the Yearbook up to the 1963-1964 edition and appears now as a
separate publication. A complete list of the Bibliographies can be found in the
UN-I-QUE database.

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (http://www.itlos.org/), located in
Hamburg (Germany), was established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea of 10 December 1982, which entered into force on 16 November 1994 (current
status of the Convention). Appeal to the ITLOS is one of the means for the settlement of
disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention. Its mandate is
further defined in Annex VI to the Convention which contains the Statute of the
Tribunal.

The Tribunal, an independent judicial body, was granted observer status in the General
Assembly by resolution 51/204 of 17 December 1996. A Cooperation Agreement
between the United Nations and the Tribunal was signed on 18 December 1997 and
approved by the General Assembly in resolution 52/251 of 8 September 1998 (the text
of the agreement is annexed to the resolution).

Information on ITLOS procedures and cases is posted on the Tribunal's website

under "Proceedings and Judgments".

The latest developments are reflected in press releases.

Major publications detailing the work of the ITLOS:

The latest versions of the basic legal documents relating to the organization of
the Tribunal are posted on its website. This material is also available in printed
format (list) but the Internet versions are more current.

The Yearbook (list) contains information about the organization, functioning,

competence, procedure, judicial work, finances and members of the Tribunal in a
given year. Included is also a bibliography listing publications on the Tribunal
which have come to the attention of the Registry during the reporting period. Full-
text source materials are reprinted in annexes.

Tribunal actions are recorded in the series Reports of Judgments, Advisory

Opinions and Orders (list). Documentation relating to its proceedings is
compiled in the series Pleadings, Minutes of Public Sittings and Documents
(list).

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

Formal name:
International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for
Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of
the Former Yugoslavia since 1991.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (http://www.un.org/icty/),

located in The Hague (Netherlands), was established by Security Council resolution 827
(1993) of 25 May 1993. The Statute of the Tribunal, whose original version is annexed
to document S/25704 + Corr.1, defines its mandate. It was amended by Security
Council resolutions 1166 (1998) of 13 May 1998, 1329 (2000) of 30 November 2000 and
1411 (2002) of 17 May 2002. The current version of the Statute is posted on the
Tribunal's website.

The Tribunal reports annually to the General Assembly and the Security Council.
The full text of the annual reports can be accessed through the Tribunal's
website.

The latest developments are reflected in press releases.

Major publications detailing the work of the Tribunal:

The latest versions of the Basic Legal Documents of the Tribunal are posted on
its website. Printed editions of this material are available but the Internet versions
are more current.

The Yearbook provides information about the work, members (with biographies),
jurisdiction, organization, functioning and activities of the Tribunal in a given year.
Included is a bibliography which lists publications relating to the Tribunal released
during the reporting period. Available in Printed editions.

The Judicial Reports reprint all public indictments as well as the decisions and
judgments rendered as of 1994. Available in Printed editions.

The Judicial Supplements provide monthly summaries of significant decisions

 and judgments. The full text of these Supplements is available online.

International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)

Formal name:
International Criminal Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for
Genocide and Other Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law
Committed in the Territory of Rwanda and Rwandan Citizens Responsible for
Genocide and Other Such Violations Committed in the Territory of Neighbouring
States between 1 January and 31 December 1994.

The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (http://www.ictr.org/), located in Arusha

(United Republic of Tanzania), was established by Security Council resolution 955
(1994) of 8 November 1994; the annexed Statute defines its mandate. The Statute was
amended by Security Council resolutions 1165 (1998) of 30 April 1998, 1329 (2000) of
30 November 2000, 1411 (2002) of 17 May 2002, 1431 (2002) of 14 August 2002 and
1512 (2003) of 27 October 2003.

The Tribunal reports annually to the General Assembly and the Security Council.
The full text of the annual reports can be retrieved from the Tribunal's website.

Basic legal documents are accessible online.

Full-text information regarding completed and pending cases is also posted.

The latest developments are reflected in press releases.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

The International Criminal Court (http://www.icc-cpi.int/), located in The Hague
(Netherlands), is an independent judicial body with jurisdiction over persons charged
with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Court was established by
the Rome Statute adopted by the United Nations Diplomatic Conference of
Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court on 17 July
1998. The Statute entered into force on 1 July 2002. The Court's relationship with the
United Nations is governed by an agreement between the two international
organizations.

The United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the

Establishment of an International Criminal Court met in Rome (Italy) from 15 June
to 17 July 1998 and adopted the Rome Statute on 17 July 1998.

The Plenipotentiary Conference established a Preparatory Commission for the

International Criminal Court to make arrangements for the establishment of the
Court and its operation prior to the first session of the Assembly of States
Parties.

The Preparatory Commission held 10 sessions and issued reports and

proceedings on the work concluded at each session (document series symbol:
PCNICC/-). The Commission also prepared a guide to its documentation. The full
text of selected Commission documents can be accessed online.

The Assembly of States Parties met for the first time in New York from 3 to 10
September 2002. Assembly documentation, issued under document series
symbol: ICC-ASP/-, is available online.

The ICC Press Releases website has the latest news. New York press releases
are issued under the series symbol L/- and can be retrieved through the search
 option at the UN Press Releases website.

United Nations Administration of Justice

The General Assembly adopted a new system of administration of justice in resolution

63/253 of 24 December 2008. Among other matters, the resolution established two new
tribunals: the United Nations Dispute Tribunal and the United Nations Appeals
Tribunal. These bodies handle internal disputes and disciplinary matters in the United
Nations. The statutes of both tribunals are annexed to the resolution. The pattern of
publication of decisions for these new bodies has not yet been established.

The United Nations Administrative Tribunal was established by General Assembly

resolution 351 A (IV) of 24 November 1949; the annexed Statute defined the mandate of
the Tribunal. Its objective was designated as passing judgment upon applications
alleging non-observance of contracts of employment of staff members or of their terms
of appointment (Article 2 of the Statute). The Statute was amended by the General
Assembly at various times; the final text is contained in AT/11/Rev.6 (Sales number:
03.X.1). General Assembly resolution 63/253 of 24 December 2008, inter alia abolished
the United Nations Administrative Tribunal.

The decisions of the UN Administrative Tribunal, whose numbers do not coincide with
the case numbers, are first issued as separate documents under the series symbol
AT/DEC/- and later cumulated. A complete list of these cumulations can be found in the
UN-I-QUE database. The cumulations also include a subject index to the judgments
during the period in question and give the composition of the Tribunal for the same
timeframe. The full text of the decisions (from the beginning in 1950 onwards) is
accessible through UNBISnet and the Official Document System of the United Nations
(ODS).

PRINCIPAL LEGAL BODIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Sixth Committee of the General Assembly

The Sixth Committee, one of the six Main Committees of the General Assembly, is
allocated all items on the Assembly's agenda which deal with legal issues. The actions
of the Assembly based on the recommendations of the Sixth Committee, as well as the
complete documentation relating to them, can be traced through the Index to
Proceedings of the General Assembly, published on a sessional basis.

Working documents are issued under the series symbol A/C.6/[session]/-. The full
text of recent working documents can be retrieved through UNBISnet and the
Official Document System of the United Nations (ODS).

Summary records of meetings are issued under the series symbol

A/C.6/[session]/SR.[meeting number] (e. g., A/C.6/62/SR.1: Summary record of
the 1st meeting of the Sixth Committee during the 61st session of the General
Assembly on 8 October 2007). Speeches made before the Sixth Committee are
indexed on a sessional basis in the Index to Proceedings of the General
Assembly and can be researched by subject, speaker and country/organization.
Sixth Committee speech citations may also be retrieved through the Index to
Speeches of the UNBISnet database. The full text of recent meeting records is
accessible through UNBISnet and the Official Document System of the United
Nations (ODS).

The Sixth Committee submits a separate report to the plenary on every agenda
item allocated to it. These reports synthesize the Committee's consideration of
the items and transmit the final version of draft resolutions/decisions
 recommended to the plenary for adoption. These reports are working documents
of the plenary; the Sixth Committee prefix (A/C.6/-) is not used for their
document symbols. They are issued under the symbol of the plenary (e. g.,
A/62/450: Report of the Sixth Committee on agenda item 82 - International Law
Commission). Since General Assembly resolutions and decisions often are not
printed until weeks after their adoption, the final draft as contained in the
Committee report (sometimes orally amended immediately prior to adoption)
remains for a long time the only source for the text of the resolution/decision. A
complete listing of Sixth Committee reports since the 57th session (e. g., 62nd)
can be found in the UN-I-QUE database. A table of the resolutions adopted by
the General Assembly at its 62nd session on the reports of the Sixth Committee
(among others) is accessible through this Research Guide.

Information relating to the work of the Sixth Committee (52nd session onwards) is
also provided by the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs.

Press releases are issued under the series symbol GA/L/- and can be retrieved
through the search option at the Press Releases website.

International Law Commission (ILC)

The International Law Commission (http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/index.html) was established

by General Assembly resolution 174 (II) of 21 November 1947; the annexed Statute
defines the mandate of the Commission. Its primary objective is designated as the
"promotion of the progressive development of international law and its codification"
(Article 1 of the Statute). The Statute was amended by the General Assembly a number
of times; the updated text (pdf), contained in A/CN.4/4/Rev.2 (Sales number: 82.V.8), is
available online.

The Commission meets in one annual session in Geneva and reports to the General
Assembly.

Working documents are issued under the series symbol A/CN.4/-. The full text of
all documents is available on the website of the Commission and recent
documents can also be retrieved through UNBISnet and the Official Document
System of the United Nations (ODS).
Reports submitted by special rapporteurs constitute a major category of working
documents . A complete listing of these reports can be found in the UN-I-QUE
database (example). The special rapporteurs' reports for a given year are
reprinted in the ILC Yearbook (see below).

Provisional summary records of meetings are issued under the series symbol
A/CN.4/SR.[meeting number] (e. g., A/CN.4/SR.2941: Summary record of the
2941st meeting on 24 July 2007). The meeting records of a given year are
reprinted in the ILC Yearbook (see below).

The annual reports of the Commission to the General Assembly are issued as
Supplement number 10 to the Official Records of the General Assembly. A
complete list of these reports (1949 onwards) can be found in the UN-I-QUE
database. The annual report of a given year is reprinted in the ILC Yearbook
(see below). The full text of all annual reports can be accessed through the
Commission's website, recent reports are available from UNBISnet and the
Official Document System of the United Nations (ODS).

Press releases are issued under the series symbol L/- and can be retrieved
through the search option at the Press Releases website.

Major publications detailing the work of the ILC:

The Yearbook of the International Law Commission reproduces, in volume I,

records of meetings which took place in a given year; volume II contains the
 texts of major reports produced during the year (including the annual report to
the General Assembly). A complete list of the Yearbooks can be found in the
UN-I-QUE database. The full text of all ILC Yearbooks is available through the
Commission's website and UNBISnet .

The Work of the International Law Commission, 7th edition (Sales number:
07.V.9) gives an overview of the ILC's activities and reproduces the full text of
legal instruments drafted under its aegis. An updated list of these legal
instruments (with, in many cases, links to the full text) is available online.

The Analytical Guide to the Work of the International Law Commission,

1949-1997 (Document symbol: ST/LEG/GUIDE/1; Sales number: 98.V.10)
describes the work of the ILC on legal issues falling within its mandate with
references to the source materials. An online version of the Guide has been
posted on the Commission's website.

United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (http://www.uncitral.org/)

was established by General Assembly resolution 2205 (XXI) of 17 December 1966;
sections I and II of the resolution define the mandate of the Commission. Its primary
objective is designated as the "promotion of the progressive harmonization and
unification of the law of international trade" (section I of the resolution).

The Commission meets in one annual session, convened alternately in New York (even
years) and Vienna (odd years), and reports to the General Assembly.

Working documents are issued under the series symbol A/CN.9/-. The full text of
recent documents is available through the website of the Commission, UNBISnet
and the Official Document System of the United Nations (ODS). Reports
submitted by working groups constitute a major category of these documents.
Information about UNCITRAL working groups and their documentation can be
found on the Commission's website. Selected working documents of a given year
are reprinted in the UNCITRAL Yearbook (see below).

Summary records of meetings are issued under the series symbol

A/CN.9/SR.[meeting number] (e. g., A/CN.9/SR.842: Summary record of the
842nd meeting on 28 June 2007). Selected meeting records of a given year are
reprinted in the UNCITRAL Yearbook (see below). The full text of recent meeting
records can be retrieved through UNBISnet and the Official Document System of
the United Nations (ODS).

The annual reports of the Commission to the General Assembly are issued as
Supplement number 17 to the Official Records of the General Assembly. A
complete list of the reports (1968 onwards) can be found in the UN-I-QUE
database. The annual report of a given year is reprinted in the UNCITRAL
Yearbook (see below). The full text of recent annual reports can be accessed
through the Commission's website, UNBISnet and the Official Document System
of the United Nations (ODS).

New York press releases are issued under the series symbol L/- and can be
retrieved through the search option at the Press Releases website or the News
page of the Commission's website.

Major publications detailing the work of UNCITRAL:

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law Yearbook

reproduces the annual report of the Commission as well as actions and
comments on it, studies and reports on major subjects, the full text of legal
instruments and the records of selected meetings which took place in a given
year. A complete list of the Yearbooks can be found in the UN-I-QUE database.
The full text of all Yearbooks is posted on the Commission's website.
 UNCITRAL : The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
(Sales number: 86.V.8) gives an overview of UNCITRAL's activities as at August
1985 and reproduces the full text of legal instruments drafted under its aegis up
to that time. A list of these legal instruments is available online, with links to full
text and to status information.

A Bibliography of Recent Writings related to the Work of UNCITRAL, issued

annually, forms part of the Yearbook and has additionally appeared as a separate
document since 1986. An updated list of recent writings is posted on the
Commission's website.

LEGAL DOCUMENTATION

A more comprehensive listing of United Nations documents and publications on law-

related topics can be retrieved through the UNBISnet database. UNBISnet provides links
to the full text of recent documentation.
Subject terms which might prove useful in conducting a search are: environmental law,
intellectual property, international criminal courts, international trade law, judicial system,
law of the sea, law of treaties, space law, war crimes, etc. Additional descriptors may be
identified through the UNBIS Thesaurus. Proper names (e. g., Conference on the Law
of Treaties between States and International Organizations or between International
Organizations; Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International
Watercourses) may also be used for constructing subject searches.

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