Formation of Customary International Law and General Principles

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Marie Dupuy
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
International Protection ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Normative Concepts ◽  
The One ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Law Making

The customary law status of a rule depends on whether the principle has been referred to, or put into operation, in a treaty, in a soft law instrument, in judicial or semi-judicial decisions, or in other expressions of state practice. This article starts with some preliminary observations on customary law-making in international environmental law, and then assesses the ‘banality’ of the customary law-making process in the field of the international protection of the environment – that is, the fact that this process is analogous to the one in general international law. It also reviews a series of theoretical and technical problems in proving the existence of customary environmental law, namely, the relationship between treaties and custom; the relationship between ‘soft law’ and custom; and the relationship between general principles, normative concepts, and custom. The article concludes by considering the problematic nature of the constantly ongoing law-making process in the absence of a legislator for environmental protection.

scholarly journals Some Reflections on the Relationship of Treaties and Soft Law

1999 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 901-913 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Boyle
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Practical Relevance ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Law Making

My starting point for this discussion of the relationship between treaties and soft law is the observation that the subtlety of the processes by which contemporary international law can be created is no longer adequately captured by reference to the orthodox categories of custom and treaty. The role of soft law as an element in international law-making is now widely appreciated, and its influence throughout international law is evident. Within that law-making process the relationships between treaty and custom, or between soft law and custom are also well understood. The relationship between treaties and soft law is less often explored, but it is no less important, and has great practical relevance to the work of international organisations.

Part VIII Compliance, Implementation, and Effectiveness, Ch.58 International Environmental Responsibility and Liability

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Voigt Christina
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Strict Liability ◽  
Standard Of Care ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Environmental Harm ◽  
State Responsibility ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Illegal Acts ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter analyses the relationship between international environmental law and state responsibility, considering primary obligations, environmental harm, and the standard of care/due diligence. Accountability for internationally illegal acts, such as breach of a treaty or the violation of customary law rules, is relatively well developed in general international law under the concept of state responsibility, though not in a codified, treaty-based manner and some uncertainties exist. In general, ‘state responsibility’ refers to the accountability of a state for a violation of international law and is premised upon an internationally wrongful act which can be attributed to a state. The consequences of international responsibility for a wrongful act are the obligation of the wrongdoer to cease that act, to offer assurances of non-repetition, and to make full reparation of the injury caused by the internationally wrongful act, including compensation for environmental damage. On the other hand, rules for strict liability for environmental harm resulting from lawful activities are not so well established, and remain singular and exceptional.

5. Soft Law in International Law-Making

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Boyle
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Customary Law ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
Regulatory Regime ◽  
Technical Standards ◽  
Hard Law ◽  
State Practice ◽  
Legal Character ◽  
Law Making

From a law-making perspective the term ’soft lawʼ is in most cases simply a convenient description for a variety of non-legally binding instruments used in contemporary international relations by States and international organizations. Soft law in this sense can be contrasted with hard law, which is always binding. Non-binding soft law instruments are not law per se, but may be evidence of existing law, or formative of the opinio juris or State practice that generates new customary law. They may additionally acquire binding legal character as elements of a treaty-based regulatory regime, or constitute a subsequent agreement between the parties regarding interpretation of a treaty or application of its provisions. Other non-binding soft-law instruments are significant mainly because they are the first step in a process eventually leading to conclusion of a multilateral treaty, or because they provide the detailed rules and technical standards required for the implementation of a treaty. An alternative view of soft law focuses on the contrast between ’rulesʼ, involving clear and reasonably specific commitments which are in this sense hard law, and ’normsʼ or ’principlesʼ, which, being more open-textured or general in their content and wording, can thus be seen as soft even when contained in a binding treaty. It is a fallacy to dismiss soft law because it does not readily fit a theory of what is ‘law’: properly understood, it can and does contribute to the corpus of international law-making.

scholarly journals Role of the South in the Development of International Environmental Law

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-157
Author(s):  
Parvez Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
International Law ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
International Environmental Law ◽  
Colonial Era ◽  
International Protection ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
Independent States ◽  
Law Texts

Abstract In the post-colonial era, the newly emerging and independent states of Asia and Africa, supported by the developing world in South America, questioned the validity and legitimacy of norms of international law. Those norms were perceived to serve only the interests of the developed Western nations and were alien to the aspirations of the developing countries. International law has evolved over time, with a willingness to accept the viewpoint of new participants in the global process in a variety of contexts. These include the international protection of human rights and international law regarding the permanent sovereignty of nations over their natural wealth and resources. The interests of developing countries have been assimilated, though the extent to which this is done varies. A central message advanced is that the ultimate integrity of international law is the commonality and synthesis of the interests of all states, rich and poor, agricultural and industrial. The continuing contribution of developing countries, through their participation in conferences, negotiation of treaties and soft law texts, adds immeasurable strength to the current state and future development of international environmental law.

Grotian Moments and Peremptory Norms of General International Law: Friendly Facilitators or Fatal Foes?

Grotiana ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-353
Author(s):  
Dire Tladi
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
The Other ◽  
High Threshold ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
State Practice ◽  
The One ◽  
Jus Cogens ◽  
The Right ◽  
Peremptory Norms ◽  
Law Making

Abstract The concept of a Grotian moment remains rather obscure in international law. On the one hand, it can refer simply to an empirical fact which galvanises the ordinary law-making processes, whether treaty-making or State practice, resulting in major shifts in international law. On the other hand, a Grotian moment might be seen as an event so significant that it results in an extraordinary shift in international law without full adherence to the processes for law-making. The former understanding has little legal significance, while the latter, which would be legally significant, would be controversial and without legal basis. Against this background the article discusses the intersections between peremptory norms and Grotian Moments. It does this by looking at the intersection between the two concepts as well as the intersection between Grotian Moments, on the one hand and, on the other hand, particular jus cogens norms. With respect to the former, for example, the article will consider whether the high threshold of peremptory status facilitates and hinders Grotian moments. With respect to the latter, the article will consider particular norms that have been said to have shifted on account of the Grotian moments, namely the right to use of force in self-defence as well humanitarian intervention.

A Constitution for a Nonstate

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-58
Author(s):  
Emilio Dabed
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
The Political ◽  
Constitutional Order ◽  
Economic Context ◽  
Basic Law ◽  
History Of ◽  
The One ◽  
Constitutional Regime ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Law Making

This article sheds new light on the political history of legal-constitutional developments in Palestine in the fourteen years following the Oslo Accord. It examines the relationship between the unfolding social, political, and economic context in which they arose, on the one hand, and PA law-making and legal praxis, on the other. Focusing on the evolution of the Palestinian Basic Law and constitutional regime, the author argues that the “Palestinian constitutional process” was a major “battlefield” for the actors of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Thus, changes in the actors' political strategies at various junctures were mirrored in legal-constitutional forms, specifically in the political structure of the PA. In that sense, the constitutional order can be understood as a sort of “metaphoric representation” of Palestinian politics, reflecting, among other things, the colonial nature of the Palestinian context that the Oslo process only rearticulated. This perspective is also essential for understanding the evolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict after Oslo.

The Institutionalization of a Process

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 308-340
Author(s):  
Gloria Fernández Arribas
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
International Law ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Legal Order ◽  
International Organization ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Kimberley Process ◽  
Law Making

The Kimberley Process represents a new method of international cooperation between subjects of international law. It was named by its creators as a process, setting it apart from international organizations, and leading too to its consideration as informal international law-making or soft law. In this study we shall analyze the extent to which the Kimberley Process falls into these categories. Our main task, however, is to compare it to formal international organizations, with a view to establishing whether what really has been created is an institutionalization process that is like an international organization, but with a different name. To do this, we will analyze with reference to the Kimberley Process the various respective fields of international organizations, such as founding agreement, membership, structure, decision-making process and legal order.

scholarly journals Die Staatenhaftung im Völkerrecht

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahar Moradi Karkaj
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
State Responsibility ◽  
Investment Protection ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
Information Operations ◽  
State Obligations ◽  
State Liability ◽  
The Relationship

The necessity for state obligations to compensate transboundary harm becomes particularly evident in the virtual world. International law is predestined to address this issue but faces challenges due to the private character of information operations. Against this background, the author analyses the relationship between the established institute of state responsibility for internationally wrongful acts and the concept of state liability for non-prohibited dangerous activities. The contours of state liability are primarily derived from environmental law, WTO law, and investment protection. It is shown that state liability offers solutions to novel conflict situations. The findings can potentially be applied in various liability regimes.

9. Law-Making Processes

2020 ◽  
pp. 181-203
Author(s):  
Paola Gaeta ◽  
Jorge E. Viñuales ◽  
Salvatore Zappalà
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Soft Law ◽  
The Icj ◽  
General Principles Of Law ◽  
Law Making

Custom and treaties constitute the two most important formal sources of international law, that are also envisaged in Article 38 of the ICJ Statute. In addition, Article 38 refers to general principles of law recognized in domestic systems. This chapter examines these three formal sources of international law as well as some others, in particular unilateral acts of States and binding decisions of international organizations. In addition, it discusses equity and soft law and examines some mechanisms of identification and development of international law, such as jurisprudence, doctrine, and codification.

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