The second report of the Secretary-General submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 1757 (2007), on the subject of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, has been issued (S/2008/173). The report outlines progress since September 2007 in several areas, including, among others:
the locationof th......
Next week, UNESCO will host a meeting of experts on the topic Freedom of Information and Sustainable Development. The meeting will consider the fundamental right to access information held by public bodies. A new publication, Freedom of information: a comparative legal survey (2nd ed, full text, p......
The latest addition to the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council has been issued. This sales publication (05.VII.1) provides a guide to the proceedings of the Security Council for the years 1989-1992, a period when the Council's practice expanded in the areas of conflict prevention, pe......
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has issued a new publication on the Convention on the Recognition on Enforcement on Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York, 1958). This one volume publication contains the text of the convention in all six official languages and also inc......
The fourth report on the effects of armed conflicts on treaties, by Mr. Ian Brownlie, Special Rapporteur, has been issued (A/CN.4/589). The report is issued for the consideration of the International Law Commission. The online Analytical Guide has a summary of the work on this topic with links to ......
The assessments of the President and the Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) have been transmitted by a document (S/2007/663). The reports detail the measures taken to implement the Completion Strategy. ......
Asylum in the European Union: A Study of the Implementation of the Qualification Directive (UNHCR, Nov. 2007) [text]Law and legal issues in international disaster response: a desk study (IFRC, Nov. 2007) [text]Persécutions des femmes: Savoirs, mobilisations et protections (Editions Du Croquant, Nov. 2007) [access contents, summary, preface and full-text of the introduction]
Refugee Issues...
A new report of the Secretary-General on the UN Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation of International Law has been issued (A/62/503). The report contains details about the various websites and major publications related to international law from vario......
During its resumed substantive session, the Economic and Social Council resolved to recommend to the General Assembly to adopt the Non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests. The latest text of the instrument has been transmitted to the Second Committee for consideration (A/C.2/62/L.5)......
The 14th annual report of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991 (ICTY), has been issued (A/62/172-S/2007/469). The report covers the period from 1 ......
Dealing with the Past in Post-Conflict Societies: Ten Years after the Peace Accords - in Guatemala and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Swiss Peace Annual Conference, Sept. 2007) [text via ReliefWeb]
Determining the Best Interests of Unaccompanied and Separated Children: Lessons from Guinea (International Rescue Committee, Sept. 2007) [text via ReliefWeb]
"Drug Donations in Emergencies, the Sri Lankan...
The Report of the International Law Commission on its fifty-ninth session has been issued (A/62/10). Topics under consideration during the session included:
Shared natural resources;
Responsibility of international organizations;
Reservations to treaties;
Effects of armed conflicts on tre......
The report of the International Criminal Court for 2006/2007 is now available (A/62/314). Four situations were before the Court during the period, including the situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Darfur, the Sudan and the Central African Republic.......
The report of the International Court of Justice has been issued (A/62/4). The ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has two functions:
to pass judgments on disputes brought by States ("contentious cases"); and
to issue advisory opinions on legal questions from other organ......
The report of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Leandro Despouy, has been issued(A/62/207). The report offers an overview of the situations and circumstances that have the most impact on the independence of the judiciary, from the operational to the structural. His f......
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has published its annual flagship, the 2007 World Drug Report on 26 June, the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The Report shows global markets for illicit drugs remained largely stable in 2005-06, while a few years ago the ......
The 1st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea took place in Baku, Azerbaijan from 23 to 25 May 2007. The Convention, also known as Tehran Convention, was adopted in November 2003 and entered into force on ......
The report of the Ad Hoc Committee on criminal accountability of United Nations officials and experts on mission on its first session, held 9-13 April 2007, has been issued (A/62/54). The report includes a summary of discussions and recommendations of the committee.......
The newly-launched United Nations Counter-Terrorism Online Handbook showcases United Nations’ system-wide resources and activities in the field of counter-terrorism. The handbook is a collaborative effort of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), which brings together 24 UN dep......
The Sixth Committee of the General Assembly discussed the report of the International Law Commission (A/61/10). A new report summarizes the discussion (A/CN.4/577). The topics discussed include: shared natural resources; responsibility of international organizations; reservations to treaties; eff......
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have created a leaflet on Rescue at Sea (full text, pdf, 1.92 MB). Intended for those involved in rescue at sea situations, it provides guidance on relevant legal provisions, a......
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) recently released its report for 2004-2005 (A/60/4). The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It has a dual role: to settle in accordance with international law the legal disputes submitted to it by States, and to give advisory opinion......
The 7th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, until 28 October. The body oversees the implementation of the Convention. More details, including links to documents and the text of the convention, are available......
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) launched Criminal Justice Assessment Toolkit. The toolkit, as a practical guide, is intended to enable UN agencies, other organizations and government officials engaged in criminal justice re......
The International Maritime Organization IMO issued a press briefing informing that the latest amendments to the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention) entered into force on 1 November 2006. The amendments were adopted in July 2005 and include new recommended pr......
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) published its annual greenhouse gas data report. According to the 2006 report the overall greenhouse gas emissions of industrialized countries decreased by 3.3 per cent. However, this was mostly due to a 36.8 per cent decrease in emissio......
In order to overhaul the UN's current internal system of justice, which is seen by some as, among other things, costly in terms of time, staff dissatisfaction, and the reputation of the Organization, a panel made up of independent experts (members) is proposing a cost-effective system which would of......
In order to overhaul the UN's current internal system of justice, which is seen by some as, among other things, costly in terms of time, staff dissatisfaction, and the reputation of the Organization, a panel made up of independent experts (members) is proposing a cost-effective system which would of......
The International Seabed Authority is holding its twelvth session from now until 18 August in Kingston, Jamaica. Related documetns are now available on the ISA Web site. The ISA is an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ......
Focus 2006: Crossing Borders (full text), a book about treaties being specially promoted for signature and ratification this year at September's High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development (Web site), is now online. The 30 treaties covered in the 156-page book, in French and Engl......