In this episode Dapo Akande, Marko Milanovic and Philippa Webb are joined by Philippe Sands (University College London and 11KBW) and Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh (University of Amsterdam and University of the South Pacific). The focus is on the advisory function of international courts and tribunals. In December 2022, the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law (COSIS) requested an advisory opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on climate change impacts arising from ocean warming, sea level rise and ocean acidification. On 9 January 2023, Chile and Colombia signed a joint advisory opinion request to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the scope of state obligations for responding to the climate emergency. On 20 January 2023, the General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the ICJ on “Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem”. On 20 February 2023, a core group of states, led by…
International Tribunal Procedure
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Pandemics, Procedure and Participation: Hybrid Hearings in the Mauritius/Maldives Maritime Boundary Dispute
Introduction On 28 January 2021, an ITLOS Special Chamber delivered its Judgment on Preliminary Objections in the Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives, PO Judgment). This progressive judgment has stirred rich academic debate, including Thin’s contribution on the legal effect of soft law…
UNCITRAL and ISDS Reform: Plausible Folk Theories
As observers of the UNCITRAL process, we watch the debates with great interest, writing about the emergence of different camps, giving perspectives on how the process fits within broader geopolitical developments, and offering potential models for moving forward. One thing that we are often struck by is how some of the field’s underlying narratives are…
UNCITRAL and ISDS Reforms: What Makes Something Fly?
When conducting an international negotiation, the Chair has to ask him or herself: what makes something fly? This question really has two parts. The first concerns the negotiations themselves. Once you’ve taken off and achieved a certain cruising speed and altitude, how do you keep the momentum going? Will some flight paths be smoother than…
Did ITLOS Just Kill the Military Activities Exemption in Article 298?
In a May 25, 2019 interlocutory decision, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) prescribed provisional measures in the case brought by Ukraine against Russia, ordering Russia to release three Ukrainian naval vessels and 24 Ukrainian service members seized on November 25, 2018 in an incident in the Kerch Strait. During the incident last…