The 'International Law Commission' was established by the
General Assembly of the
United Nations in
1948 with the purpose of codifying and promoting
international law. It holds an annual session at the
United Nations Office at Geneva.
Origin
Several attempts have been made in the effort to codify international law. The work which lead to the International Law Commission was begun in Resolution of the Assembly of the
League of Nations of
22 September 1924. The United Nations adopted many concepts of the League's resolution in Article 13, Paragraph 1 of the Charter of the United Nations, "1. The General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of: a. ...encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification." The Commission is comprised of 34 member elected by the General Assembly. Members act as individuals and not as officials representing their respective states.
Achievements
The International Law Commission's work has led to the creation of a number of treaties and other works of international law that are key to the present international legal order (see generally under "Research Guide > Texts, instruments and final reports" on the
International Law Commission site), for example:
★ The
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
★ The
Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties
★ The
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
★ The
Draft Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts
★ The
International Criminal Court, first proposed in
1949 at the request of the UN General Assembly.
See also
★
List of members of the International Law Commission
External link
★
International Law Commission
★
Online Journal of International Law