Civil Society International Courts And Compliance Bodies

The well-publicized contributions of civil society in setting items on the international agenda, in developing new international treaties, in exercising pressure on States in favour of or against the ratification of such treaties and in assisting the functioning of new institutions has attracted the attention of scholars who discuss the presence and the role of ‘new actors’ on the international stage. The role of civil society as regards international courts and tribunals, as well as compliance mechanisms set up especially in the environmental field, may be less well-known but is certainly no less important. This book explores this crucial area. The attempt is timely and particularly relevant because of the continuous increase in the number of international courts, tribunals and compliance mechanisms. The areas of human rights, international criminal law and international environmental law are the main focus of the study, in the light of the well-established role of NGOs in Human Rights Courts and UN bodies as well as in the light of their remarkable success in setting up the International Criminal Court and the promising avenues which are now open in the compliance bodies of environmental law conventions. Broader questions and bodies such as the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea as well as European courts and tribunals are also included. The experience of a multinational group of academic scholars, judges and registrars of international tribunals, and experts from Non-Governmental Organizations, who have contributed to the book, provide it with the necessary variety of approaches and points of view. This book is based on the results of a research project by the Universities of Milan, Brescia and Verona, supported by the Italian Ministry for University and Research, and by PICT, the London-New York Project on International Courts and Tribunals. Tullio Treves is a Judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and a Professor of International Law at the State University of Milano. Marco Frigessi di Rattalma teaches International Law at the University of Brescia. Attila Tanzi teaches International Law at the University of Verona. Alessandro Fodella teaches International Human Rights Protection at the University of Trento. Cesare Pitea and Chiara Ragni are research assistants at the University of Milan.

With contributions by a multinational group of academic scholars, judges and registrars of international tribunals, and experts from Non-Governmental Organizations, this book explores the role of civil society with regards to international courts and tribunals, as well as compliance mechanisms set up especially in the environmental field. The areas of human rights, international criminal law and international environmental law are the main focus of the study, in the light of the well established role of NGOs in Human Rights Courts and UN bodies as well as their remarkable success in setting up the International Criminal Court and the promising avenues which are now open in the compliance bodies of environmental law conventions. Broader questions and bodies such as the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea as well as European courts and tribunals are also examined.

This comprehensive Research Handbook offers an in-depth examination of the most significant factors affecting compliance with international human rights law, which has emerged as one of the key problems in the efforts to promote effective protection of human rights. In particular, it examines the relationships between regional human rights courts and domestic actors and judiciaries.

The essays are persuasive and well-written and, all in all, the book makes an indelible contribution to the legal discourse surrounding this subject. Although the essays are presented with sufficient detail and structure for legal specialists, it would be extremely useful for lobbying practitioners. It is equally essential reading for larger NGOs who wish to improve existing partnership efforts as well as smaller NGOs in developing countries who would like to know more about the policy considerations underpinning current limitations to the NGO s role. Akima Paul, Vienna Online Journal on International Constitutional Law The increasing importance of NGOs has forced international institutions to pay attention to issues of participation and transparency. This excellent book provides comprehensive and insightful analyses of how international bodies accommodate NGOs and their concerns. It forthrightly addresses the uncertain legal status of NGOs in international law. Edith Brown Weiss, Georgetown University Law Center, US No one can deny the significance that NGOs have at the international level, or the dynamism some of them have shown in promoting change, whether in the context of the International Criminal Court or the environment, etc. This is a lively and well-informed account of the wide range of NGOs at the international level, their continuing search for status and (what is more important) access, and also of the abuses sometimes involved, e.g. with servile NGOs in the human rights field. This collection provides an important source of information about an important source of influence on our lives. James Crawford, Cambridge University, UK A timely and useful book that highlights the multi-faceted role of NGOs on the international scene and the rules and practices which have been designed to this end. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, University of Geneva, Switzerland This book offers a refreshing and well-informed approach to the contentious issues of the role, legal status and consequences of NGOs in international law. The authors provide insightful and high quality analyses of the theories, applications and realities of NGO participation in a wide range of international activity. Robert McCorquodale, University of Nottingham, UK This is a timely and important contribution. It assists in our understanding of developments that have theoretical and practical implications for the changing international legal order. Philippe Sands, University College London, UK The increasing role that NGOs play at different levels of legal relevance from treaty-making to rule implementation, and from support to judges to aid delivery calls for reconsideration of the international legal status of those organizations. This book shows that the degree of flexibility currently enjoyed by NGOs in fields as varied as human rights, the environment and the European Union development cooperation policy constitutes the best arena for all actors involved, with the consequences that the instances where more strict regulation of NGOs participation is desirable are very limited. With each chapter focusing on a different modality of NGO participation in international affairs (from formalised legal statuses to informal ways of dealing with issues of international relevance), this book will be of great interest to academics specialised in international law, political scientists, international officials working for both international organisations and non-governmental organisations, and legal practitioners (legal counsels of international organisations, lawyers and judges).

A universal criminal court : the emergence of an idea -- The global civil society campaign -- The victory : the independent prosecutor -- The defeat : no universal jurisdiction -- The controversy : gender and forced pregnancy -- The missed chance : banning weapons -- A global civil society achievement : why rejoice?

Providing an insightful contribution to literature on the topic, this book scrutinises how international courts and tribunals may respond procedurally to an ever-growing list of environmental disputes. In a time of environmental crisis, it lays crucial groundwork for strengthening the application of international environmental law, a topic of increasing relevance for global civil society.

Given the disappointing implementation levels in various countries and across human rights systems, this guide seeks to contribute to the discussion regarding strategies for courts, international decision-makers, and civil society to increase the implementation of ESCR decisions. For generations, human rights defenders have struggled to secure recognition of economic, social and cultural rights (ESC rights) and ensure their justiciability in national, regional and international courts, a struggle that has been very successful. National courts around the world, including in Colombia, India, South Africa and Kenya, are expressing their views on ESC rights on a regular basis, and several countries have explicitly included the justiciability of ESC rights in their constitutions. Regional tribunals such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights now consider petitions on ESCR. At the international level, in 2013, the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic and Social Rights entered into force, allowing the Committee on Economic and Social Rights to hear individual complaints concerning violations of ESC rights

Saul, Follesdal and Ulfstein examine in detail the interplay between national parliaments and the international human rights judiciary.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.