SUBJECTS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

Who are subjects of international law: they all have legal personality, capacity to engage in rights and duties.

There are two theories:

a. Traditional theory.
 States.
 Individuals.
 International Organizations: diveded in:
o Intergobermental organizations
o Non-gobermental organizations (NGO’s) there are not considered subjects under the traditional teory, but
are so importants. Ex. ICRC, Green Peace.

b. New theory:
 International actors
 Terrorist groups
 NGO’s
 Corporations
 + the subjects that the traditional theory mentioned.

 Couse all above subjects are important and

STATES: STATEHOOD AND RECOGNITION

State: International person.

Concepts:

 Statehood: Is the status of being a State (category). Es consecuencia del reconocimento como estado.
o Criteria of being a State and
o Consequences of being a State.
 Recognition: is a unilateral act of a State by which it acknowledges the facts that constitute a State.

States as a legal person: because of States being such, they have certain rights, duties, powers and immunities.

Legal criteria of Statehood (article 1 of Montevideo Convention):

Elements to statehood:

a. Permanent population:
- There are not necessary permanent.
- It is not important a specific number of persons.
- All foreigners under my jurisdiction have human rights.
b. Defined territory:
- Not define, but definable.
- It is not necessary a minimum territory.
- It is not important that the majority of the territory are in disputes for other states. Lo importante es que en la parte
que no esta en disputa tengan la soberanía y cumplan con los otros elementos.
- No es importante el tamañ o del territorio.
- En la zona ecnomica exclusive no hay soverania, hay control econó mico.
c. Government:
 - not the iure government,
- but facto government.
- It should be efficient government.
- No importa el Sistema de gobierno que tengan, lo importante es que tegan un gobierno.
- Se refiere al poder del estado, la determinacion y organizacion interna del estado.
- Based on internal sovereignty, the power of the government.
d. Capacity to enter into relations with the other States: have the possibility to stablish these relations.
- If you have the three elements you can potentially act in international field.
- You need the recognition to act completely, without problems.
- No son importantes las posibilidades que tengamos para actuar, lo importane es tenerla capacidad de hacerlo.
- Based on external sovereignty , international sovereignty.

- It means independence in external relations.

- The government must be sovereign and independent, so that is not subject to the authority of another State.
- The constituent states of a federation, or the overseas territories of a State, are not sovereign and do not have
international legal personality.
- It is possible, however, for a State to be accepted as independent even though, exceptionally, certain functions of
government are placed in an outside body.

Who decides that the legal criteria of statehood are satisfied?

 First, the claim needs to be made by an Entity that is and wishes to be regarded as a State.
 The initial determination is to be made by each State individually, in good faith.

Civilized States:

The word “civilized” doesn’t have important meaning nowadays.

a. Civilized: has all the rights and obligations.

b. Semi-civilized: has any rights and obligations, not all.
c. Savage/barbarous: doesn’t have rights and obligations.

Legal powers associated with statehood:

 The treaty-making power: because you are a state and the Vienna Convention faculty you to do that.
 Privileges and immunities.
 Capacity to espouse international claims.
 Diplomatic protections: faculty of the state.
 Locus standi: the actual possibility that you have to go and defend yourself. “pararse en el lugar”, capacidad de ir a la Corte,
de comparecer ante la Corte. Se deriva de las obligaciones erga omnes.
 Responsibility:
 Right of mission: possibility to have embays to other state.

JURISDICTION:

El ejercicio del poder estatal de la forma que sea.

Bases of jurisdiction:

a. Territorial: in my territory I make that I want, in my territory I have the power, BUT that state se sujeta al jus cogens,
derechos humanos y sus obligaciones internacionales.
b. Extraterritorial sovereignty:
 Personal:
o Active
o Passive
 Protection
 Universal

EXCLUSIVE AND GENERAL LEGAL CHARACTERISTICS OF STATES.

1. States have plenary competence to perform acts in the international sphere.
2. States are exclusively competent with respect to their internal affairs.
3. States are not subject to international process without their consent.
4. States are regarded in international law as equals. This is a formal, not a moral or political, principle.
5. Any modification or derogation of the above principles requires the consent or acquiescence of the State.

Territorial integrity and uti possidetis:

 Territorial integrity: nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border
changes in other nation-states.
 Uti possidetis: Territory and other property remains with its possessor at the end of a conflict, unless otherwise
provided for by treaty
 It was originally devised that the administrative divisions of the Spanish Empire would be regarded as the boundaries
of the newly independent Latin American States.
 This would prevent boundary disputes between States.
 Burkina Faso v. Mali: Territorial integrity as principle of general international law.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF STATES

a. Sovereign equality: They have equal rights and duties and are equal members of the international community,
notwithstanding differences of an economic, social, political or other nature.
 Elements:
o States are juridical equals.
o Each State enjoy the rights inherent in full sovereignty.
o Each State has the duty to respect the personality of other States.
o The territorial integrity and political independence of the states are inviolable.
o Each State has the right to freely choose and develop its political, social, economic and cultural systems.
o Each State has the right to comply fully and in good faith with its international obligations and to live in peace
with other States.
b. Non-intervention: No State or group of States has the right to intervene directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in
the internal or external affairs of any other State. Consequently, armed intervention and any other form of interference or
attempted threats against the personality of the State or against its political, economic and cultural elements, are in
violation of international law.
c. Principio de estabilidad: cuando es una perdida permanente de los tres elementos o alguno para constituir un estado, ya
no hay estado, pero si puede cambiar, puede volver a como era antes, el principio de estabilidad protege el estatus de
estado. La perdida tiene que ser permanente, absoluta e irremediable.
d. Universal jurisdiction: el estado no esta obligado, el puede ejercer jurisdicció n internacional sobre los intereses
esenciales de la comunidad internacional.

SOBERANÍA es el ejercicio de los poderes con sujeció n del derecho internacional. No es hacer lo que yo quiera cuando
yo quiera, si soy soberano me atengo a las obligaciones que por medio de esa soberanía adquirí.
RECOGNITION:

Is a unilateral act (discretional of the State) acknowledging or accepting that other state exists.

- If not all state accepts you as a state, you don’t have all obligations and rights that other states recognized has.
- Its decelerate a state as such, not creates a state.
- A state is created by the elements of statehood.
- Is a condition to constitute a state.
- If you state doesn’t have the recognition, you cannot act fully as a party state in the international field. You can act,
but not fully.
- It cannot be taken back  Stoppel.

Legal consequences:

Recognition produces specific legal consequences it does not confer rights in the author State, but rather imposes obligations;
through recognition the State declares something that it cannot taken back, if it did, estoppel is at hand.

Unilateral, discretional act of a State that has clear legal consequences: the acknowledge of an entity as a State.

Theories:

1. Declarative theory: The one that applies in Int. law.

- Statehood is different from recognition. You are a State you fulfil the elements of statehood and you claim being a
State.
- Recognition is a discretionary exercise of the power of an individual State.
- Where there is uncertainty or dispute, acts of recognition may be evidence in support.

2. Constitutive recognition: Legal existence of States starts with the recognition as a State.
IMMUNITIES:

 State immunity is the immunity of a State, and its officials and agents, from the jurisdiction of another State.

Why? Igualdad soberana: no hay estados por encima de otros, por tanto no puede venir un estdo a juzgar otro.

Through the time: it has been being an absolute prohibition  absolute immunities.

Nowadays: some state can be try by other states. Ex. Russia and China

 es el estado el que tiene esa inmunidad no el funcionario, entonces el estado le transfiere esa inmunidad a esas personas (ej.
Embajador) por las funciones que cumple no por ser él.

There are two kinds of immunities:

1. JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITIES
State immunity: Is not governed by a treaty of universal application (although the UN Convention on the Jurisdictional
Immunities of 2004) and so the extent of the immunity varies from State to State. It is a doctrine of customary international
law.

2. DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES.
Is accorded to the members of a diplomatic mission, and the case of diplomatic agents amounts to almost total immunity from
jurisdiction.

 State immunity may be pleaded by a State when a person wishes to make it a party to legal proceedings in the court of
another State. Usually as the defendant.
 If successful, the plea prevents the court from exercising jurisdiction over the State.
 The dispute can then be disposed of only the courts by the courts of the foreign State itself, by an international court
or tribunal, or by diplomatic means.
 International instruments:
o European Convention on State Immunity.
o UN Convention on the Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property.

Diplomatic privileges: 1961 in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

A diplomatic agent is wholly immune from the criminal jurisdiction of the receiving State. This immunity is necessarily linked
to inviolability of his person.

APPROACHES TO JURISDICTIONAL IMMUNITIES:

 The absolute immunity approach: The sovereign was completely immune from foreign jurisdiction in all cases,
regardless of circumstances (XVIII C. – XIX C.)
 Restrictive immunity approach: Immunity was available as regards governmental activity, but not where the state was
engaging in commercial activity.
 *Acts jure imperii: Governmental acts regard to which immunity would be granted (sovereign acts).
 *Acts jure gestionis: Those relating to private or commercial activity (non-sovereign acts).

WHICH ENTITES ENJOY IMMUNITY?

Art. 2.1.b on the Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities defines a State to include:

  Its various organs of government.
 Constituent units of a federal State or political subdivisions of the State, which are entitled to perform acts in the
exercise of the sovereign authority and are acting in that capacity.
 Agencies or instrumentalities of the State or other entities, to the extent that they are entitled to perform and are
actually performing acts in the exercise of sovereign authority of the State.
o Depends on the constitution and laws of the State.
 Representatives of the State acting in that capacity.
o Agents acting on behalf of the State.
o

EXCEPTIONS TO IMMUNITY

 For the state

 Commercial transactions.
o Nature and purpose of the activity.
o Nature: Commercial transaction.
o Any commercial contract or transaction for the sale of goods or the supply of services.
o Any contract for a loan or other transaction of a financial nature, including an obligation of guarantee or of
indemnity in respect of any such loan or transaction.
o Any other contract or transactional of a commercial, industrial, trading or professional nature, not including
contract of employment of persons.
o To determine: Reference should be made primarily to the nature of the contract or transaction. Purpose
should be taken into account.
 Contracts of employment.
o Because security interests of the State.
o The employee is a national of the
 Immunity for government figures.
o Prevent confusion regarding Heads of State / Government + other government officials and diplomatic
agents.
o Different approaches depending on international tribunals or domestic courts
o International tribunals: Serving heads of state, and other governmental officials, ma be rendered susceptible
to the jurisdiction of international tribunals.
o Domestic courts: First, the question of the determination of the status of head of state before domestic courts
is primarily a matter for the domestic order of the individual concerned (US v. Noriega).
o Arrest warrant (Congo v. Belgium): Certain incumbent holders of high-ranking office in a state, head of
government and minister of foreign affairs enjoy immunities from jurisdiction in other states, both civil and
criminal. Through the duration of his or her office. Immunities enjoyed by Foregin Ministers did not bar
criminal prosecution in four situations:
 Prosecuted in their own States.
 If their State waves their immunity.
 If they cease to hold office, with regard to acts committed prior or subsequent to their term in office
or during their term of office in a private capacity.
 Before certain international criminal courts where they have jurisdiction such as ad hoc tribunals for
Yugoslavia and Rwanda
 Waiver of immunity: it has to be for any way, the important is that this be clear. Culd be written, answering the
claim, saying that, etc.
 Personal injuries: dead or damage
 Property issues
 Intellectual property
 Participation in companies (unless agreement)
 Ships and cargo controversies (unless government non-commercial service)
 Some attribution issue (validity, interpretation, procedure, aspects)
 For the goods:

 Bs

Bienes usados/destiandos para usos no comerciales del estados tienen inmunidad. PERO los no gobernamentales NO tienen
inmunidad.

El estado puede renunciar a la inmunidad sobre los bienes.

BIRTH AND/OR EXTINCTION OF STATES

There are 3 ways:

a. Birth with extinction of others: It can happen due to processes of unification or dissolution or dismembering of pre-
existing states.
Responsibility due to insurrectional movements gaining power in office is attributed to the States

b. Birth without extinction of others: Events of decolonization (peaceful), separation or violent secession.
i. In the process of independence: one territory was controlled by a State, that territory declared the independence
of this State and begin to be a independent State. Ex. Colombia’s independence of Spain.
ii. In the process of cessation: un estado se divide en dos.

c. Extinction without birth: Perhaps the only case has been the pacific absorption of the Democratic Republic of Germany
by the Federal Republic of Germany, despite being called unification.
 STATE SUCCESSION

*Most of territory in the planet is governed by States. A succession is when the State with sovereignty over a portion of territory
changes.

What is succession?

 Replacement of one State by another in the responsibility for the international and legal relations of the territory.

- Is the substitution of a State by another in the responsibility of the foreign affairs of a given territory: issues of debts,
rights, ownerships, membership, responsibility, nationality, etc.

What it covers?

- It covers any mutation of territorial sovereignty: increases or losses, not only birth or extinction of States.
- Succession must be based on lawful changes, e.g. not due to invasions against jus cogens, which would be cases of
occupation.
- Adjudication of disputed territories to those that do not occupy them are not succession cases.
- Succession in any given International Organization shall be done according to every single International Organization.

Succession VS Continuation

Continuation: un estado sigue siendo la misma personapero con otro nombre, el estado continua existendo, nunca se creo uno
Nuevo, solo se le cambio el nombre. Require que en esencia siga siendo el mismo país, que continue con sus obligaciones y
derechos, tratados, la misma gente y costumbres.
Succession: different legal persons. Are those different states, successors?

Applicable norms:

Vienna Treaties on succession related to treaties (1978) and concerning goods, archives and debts (1983).

 The first one is the only one in force, but only for a few States.

Article 17:

Quienes notifican? Quienes firman el tratado y se envuelven en el, president, ministro relaciones exteriors, el de los full
powers, etc.

Cases:

 International Organizations:
 Multilateral treaties: notification
 Bilateral treaties: both

Custom: es mandatoria para todos quienes no son persistent objector.

a. Ya esta la costumbre: se jodió .

b. Demole un plazo razonable para escoger:

a. Es costumbre general, no pueden objetar. Detener la libre determinacion y fomenter la igualdad entre las naciones
unidas.
b. Una minoría dice que se les debe dar la oprtunidad para objetar.
Tabula rasa:

“erase the table”

No estas obligado a suceder o continuar todas las relaciones jurídicas del anterior estado.

Las tomas si quieres y si no, las dejas.

Succession agreements:

Pact of contrhendo, with the purpose of negotiating in good faith or resorting to third parties to reach an equitable agreement.

Ex. EU conditioned the recognition of former Yugolasvian Republics to subjecting controversies to arbitration.

The will of the successors is crucial:

Succesion agreements are easily obtained in cases of absorption, unification or cession; but are difficult to reach in events of
secession and dissolution and are harder still harder the greater the new States are, especially in relation to the continuity of
the predecessor State, given the advantages it entails.

Not binding for third parties.

Succession as such ought not to affect rights and duties of third parties reason why they must consent to the agreements of the
involved them to have effects towards them.

Some aspects of succession demand the consent of the other interested subjects.

There is no joint responsibility of the involved States in the solution, nor is there any norm on automatic accruing of equative
parts of the debt of the predecessor to the successors

Localized debts (serve to finance projects executed there and local debts are opposable to the State whose territory they are
held.

General debt: It is possible to resort to fixed quotas to take into account indexes as GDP percentages or based on territory or
population (through agreements).

Diplomatic and consular real state and chattel located there: percentile distribution with a free choice of googs by successors
or agreement monetary actives and debts distribution according to IMF contribution quotas criteria.

Bilateral treaties: art. 28, express agreement or conduct shows wanted to keep treaty (including that of the other party and the
newly independent State).

Multilateral: continue if newly independent states notifies.

Notification of succession: three usual agents or full powers.

Reservations: art. 22 May be withdrawn.

Boundary regimes not affected.

International law does not tolerate sovereignty gaps in land spaces (terra nullius)

 Yet, international spaces as the high seas or Antarctic . Antarctic treaty: Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes
only; freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation; research shall be made freely available.
In the events of occupation and annexation, peremptory norms require preserving the recognition of the affected States and its
government: exclusion of conquest as legimitate dominion.

 ISIS case.

Continuity or not of the identity of the previous State has consequences over succession.
 DIPLOMATIC PROTECTION

Read draft articles of diplomatic protection.

*Definition: it is a discretional right invoked by a State, through diplomatic action or other means of peaceful
settlement, of the responsibility of another state for an injury caused by an internationally wrongful act of that Sate to
a natural or legal person that is national of the former with a of the former State with a view to the implementation of
such responsibility.

Essential elements:

a. Invocation by a Sate: because is a right of a State.

b. Peaceful settlement /means  diplomatic.
c. Responsibility of another State.
d. Responsibility came as a consequence: international wrongful act committed by the second State.
e. Committed against natural or legal persons protected by the first State.
- Nothing to do with diplomats, although related to how States relate with individual.
- Exclusive State right.
- A State exercises diplomatic protection in its own right because an injury to a national is deemed to be an injury to the
State itself.

 Internationally wrongful act: hecho internacionalmente ilícito (envuelve actos y omisiones)

PROCESS:

To invoke diplomatic protection, I have to prove the responsibility of another State breaching an international wrongful act.

 Diplomatic protections: are tertiary norms because you have to prove an obligation and the responsibility to give you the
right of diplomatic protection.

 Vattel: Whoever ill-treats a citizen indirectly injures the State, which must protect that citizen.
 Permanent Court of International Justice, Mavrommatis: State is protecting its own right when it ensures respect to a
citizen of it.

International organizations on diplomatic protection:

In the case of international organizations, it is not called diplomatic protection, it is called functional protection, because they
have officers (funcionarios) not nationals.

CLAIMANTS AND RESPONDENTS:

 A State has the right to exercise diplomatic protection.

 Diplomatic protection is a discretionary act of the State of nationality of the injured, meaning that States are not
obligated to exercise.
 International Organizations: Functional protection.

CONDITIONS:

 Presumptive evidence of violation of an international obligation y a State.

 Proof of nationality.
 Exhaustions of local remedies.
 Exception to the requirement of exhaustion of local remedies:
 o Demonstration of futility in utilizing local remedies.
o Absence of safety for the claimant in the site where local remedies may be exercised.
o Espousal of large numbers of similar claims.
 Clean hands rule: The ill-treats were caused by the persons ill-treats of that person by the state.

BASIS FOR DIPLOMATIC PROTECTIONS:

a. Natural persons:
 National, continuous nationality
 Multiple nationals, affective nationality
 Stateless persons and refugees.
b. Legal persons: nationality.

1. NATIONALLITY:

Elements of nationality: there are not mandatory, there are the most common elements.

- Ius soli (birth)

- Ius sanguine (decent)
- Naturalization (adoption)

Continues nationality:
Debe ser constinua entre en el momento que se sufre el perjuicio y el momento que se hace la reclamació n.

Effective nationality:

 It could not be an additional element to determine if a person is considered to be a national of a state and in consequences
to implement the diplomatic protection.

CASE: NOTTEBOHM

El Caso Nottebohm se refiere a una decisió n de la Corte Internacional de Justicia de La Haya del 6 de abril de 1955, donde se
determinaban los criterios por el cual Guatemala podía rechazar vá lidamente la nacionalidad de Liechtenstein que invocaba en
su favor Friedrich Nottebohm, un nativo de Alemania establecido en Guatemala entre 1905 y 1943. Esta decisió n resultó
relevante en el Derecho internacional respecto de los criterios que rigen el reconocimiento de la nacionalidad efectiva de una
persona.

Stateless person and refugies:

We can not excersice diplomatic protection for this persons.

CASE: BARCELONA TRACTION

Belgium VS Spain

Una empresa canadiense en la que Bélgica tenía acciones estaba en Españ a y Españ a empieza a ponerle muchos problemas por
la ley de Barcelona Traction lo que trajo consecuencias a la corporació n.

Canada no quizo iniciar ninguna medida en contra de Españ a, pero Bélgica si quería.

Can Belgium exercise diplomatic protections for the consequences suffered by Barcerlona Traction? NOT

Is a corporation and the measures taking by Spain where taking against the corporation not against Belgium.

YES against the orders not against the measures  ?????

The corporation was affected for the measure and Belgium in consequence, but the measure did not go against Belgium. The
state that can implement diplomatic protection is the state to wish the corporation belongs.

Can Belgium ever exercise diplomatic protection on behave of shareholders?

Si belgica presta diplomatic protection a los accionistas, entonces las medidas tomadas por españ a contra los accionistas irían
en contra de belgica y ahi si belgica podría usar diplomatic protection contra españ a.

2. EXHAUSTION OF LOCAL REMEDIES (agotar los recursos internos).

Person can acces to justices in

- Judicial
- Administrative

Scenarium

The remedies should be effective, que sirva para alcanzar el fin para el que fue creado.

Solo pueden ser presentadas por nacionales del pais, no por extrangeros.
EXCEPTIONS:

a. “To have” does not exist, there are not responsibility to implement local remedies or si se logra demostrar que la
b. Que haya un retraso injustificado en el proceso de remedio por parte del estado que es supuestamente responsible.
Elements: 1) complexity, 2) attitude victims (injured) and 3) attitude of the
c. No hay conexcion relevante entre victim y ese estado.
d. Ex. prescripcion de la accion interna

3. CLEAN HANDS DOCTRINE: ¿Puede hacer parte de la base?  NO

Desarrollo del principio de: nadie puede alegar su propia culpa.

Un estado comete un illegal y por consecuencia de eso se vuelven víctimas.

No es parte porque si cometo un ilícito voy es a ser responsible no víctima.

No tiene sentido seguir con la clausula calvo

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Subject of international law that has legal personality,

The term “international organization” refers to an organization established by a treaty or other instrument governed by
international law and possessing its own international legal personality and therefore capacity. International organizations
may include as members, in addition to States, other entities

 It could be created by states or by international organizations.

ELEMENTS:

Essential element: common interest between the States.

1. LEGAL PERSONALITY: to see if a IO have legal personality it is necessary to see the Constituent Treaty.

FUNCTIONAL TEST:

Look the function of the organizations and determine if it is necessary the legal personality.

Where there is no constitutional system for recognizong and registering associations as legal person, the primary test is
functional.

“Under international law the organizations must be deemed to have those powers which, thought not expressly provided
in the Charter, are conferred upon it by necessary implication as being essential to the performance of its duties” ICJ in
Reparations Case.

CRITERIA:
2. CAPACITY: to incur obligations and rights.

Relevant examples of IO:

1. United Nations: peace and security.

2. FIFA: football.

*DARIO: Drafts articles of responsibility of International Organizations.

TYPES OF IO:

a. Inter-governmental organizations
b. Non-governmental organizations: there are not important for the class.

CHARACTERISTICS:

 Constitutional basis: IO are commonly established by an international agreement in written form between at least
two participants, this agreement is called Constituent Treaty.
 Will of its own: The capacity to form an autonomous will is closely related to the international legal personality of
international organizations. International legal personality denotes the capacity of the organizations to have rights
and obligations under international law.
 Membership: IO are composed by at least two subjects of international law that have the capacity of concluding
international treaties.

PERFORMANCE OF ACTS IN THE LAW:

The most viable type of organizations will have a number of legal powers similar to those normally associated with statehood.

 The treaty making power:

- Is the power supported by the legal personality? Yes
- Is the personality enough? Not
- On what depends the exercise of this power?
- Has the UN this power? NO

 Privileges and immunities

 Capacity to espouse international claims

It depends of:

a. Existence of legal personality

b. On the interpretation of the constitutive treaty organization in the light of the purpose and functional of the particular
organizations.

 Functional protection of agents and persons entitled through them.

International Organizations have Functional Protection not Diplomatic Protection because they have actors not nationals.

Problem to solve: in which is prior the state’s right of diplomatic protection or the organizations right of functional protection.

Un funcionario colombiano de naciones unidas lo capturan en medio d euna mission diplomá tica, que prima? Diplomatic o
functional protection?

Puede coexistir diplomatic protection y functional protection siempre que se garantice que cada va a reclamar por lo suyo,
naciones unidas por los perjuicios ya que estaba en function de eso y su pais por los perjuicios causados como nacional, de lo
contrario podría ser un non bis in idem.

 Locus Stanti before international tribunals

Everything depends on the state governing the tribunal or the compromise concerned.

 Responsibility
 Right of mission

Yes, it Is possible.

IOs have the capacity to have rights, obligations and bring claims before international courts.

The UN has an implicit capacity to bring claims before courts.

IO have different rights that of States.

 IO do not have territory.

 IO cannot take claims against States before the ICJ, for its competence it’s limited to States. IO claims are limited.
 State actions can be against the law.; IO cannot (ultra vires doctrine).

Non-member States of the UN have to respect the legal capacity of the UN its independent of the members of the UN.

When a person is acting on behalf of a IO, it is acting as a agent of the IO and not a national of a State.

Organs: Not all members are represented in all organs.

 Principal organs: That in which all members are represented.

o Subsidiary organs.
 Policy-making organs.
 Administrative organs.
 Judicial organs.
 Parliamentary organs.
 Expert bodies.

Supranational organizations: Effects of its decisions and laws are directly incorporated into the States domestic law. /
International organizations: Effects of its decisions and laws are not directly incorporated into the States domestic law.

 Supranational organizations is the direct statutory effects of their laws on the national laws of their members, i.e. their
sovereign powers.

CASE: REPARATION

El case de la advisory opinion.

UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION:

Costumbre internacional de que los agentes que actuan en nombre del estado frente sobre funciones fundamentals tienen
inmunidad jurisdiccional, pero estatuto de roma establece que sobre ciertos delitos no Habra inmunidad frente a nadie

TYPES OF SUCESION:
todod esto es por medio de acuerdos, voluntad, consentmiento. Se rechazan todos los procesos por la fuerza,
excepcionalemnete si esa fuerza era necesaria para llegar a un proceso de paz, puede ser aceptado, pero tema aparte son las
violaciones a derechos humanos que se hicieron con esa fuerza.

a. Cession of territory: la cession tiene que ser voluntaria, consentimiento.

b. Incorporation of one state into another and merge of two states: absorció n, ej. Alemania.
- Los dos estados se unen para crear uno Nuevo.
- Un estado absorve al otro.

Puede pasar que:

- Se mantenga la personalidad jurídica de uno de los estados, aun cuanod cambie de nombre no significa que sea
otra persona jurídica.
- Se cambie la personalidad y se cree un nuevo estado.
c. Dissolutions of s State: desaparece la persona jurídica y aparecen otras.
d. Separation of a State: se mantiene la personería jurídica. Ej. Separacion de Colombia y panama.
e. Newly independent State: caso de Colombia que era colonia de españ a y luego se independizó , pasó a ser un nuevo
país, un bebe país.

Exclusive and general legal characteristics of states

1. States have plenary competence to perform acts in the international sphere
2. States are exclusively competent with respect to their internal affairs
3. States are not subject to international process without their consent
4. States are regarded in international law as ‘equals’ This is a formal, not a moral or political principle
5. Any modification or derogation of the above principles, requires the consent or acquiescence of the state.

The principle of sovereign equality of states

All states enjoy sovereign equality. They have equal rights and duties and are equal members of the international
community, notwithstanding differences of an economic, social, political or other nature.

In particular sovereign equality includes the following elements:

a. States are juridical equals
b. Each state enjoy the rights inherent in full sovereignty
c. Each state has the duty to respect the personality of other states
d. The territorial integrity and political Independence of the states are inviolable
e. Each state has the right freely to choose and develop its political, social, economic and cultural systems
f. Each state has the right to comply fully and in good faith with its international obligations and to live in
peace with other states

The Non-Intervention principle

No state of group of states has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal
or external affairs of any other state. Consequently, armed intervention and any other form of interference or
attempted threats against the personality of the state or against its political, economic and cultural elements, are in
violation of international law.

Legal powers associated with statehood

 - The treaty-making powers
- Privileges and immunities
- Capacity to espouse international claims
- Diplomatic protection
- Locus standi before international tribunals
- Responsibility
- Right of mission

RECOGNITION

Nature of the recognition

Is an unilateral act (discretional) of a state that has clear legal consequences, the acknowledge of an entity as a
state

Legal consequences of the recognition

Recognition produces specific leal consequences (…) it does not confer rights on the autor state, but rather imposes
obligations, through recognition (…) the state declares that it considers a situation to exist, and it cannot
subsequently state otherwise (…) the situation will be enforceable to that state.

There are two main theoretical approaches on recognition of states:

1. The declarative theory of recognition
a. Statehood: Seen as a matter of legal personality with objective characteristics
b. Recognition: Seen as the discretionary excercise of the power of an individual state.

Where there is uncertainty or dispute, acts of recognition may be evidence in support of the entity’s claim of being
a state.

2. The constitutive theory of recognition

It is the act of recognition which establishes the legal existence of the recognized entity, in each case only
with respect to the recognizing state.

DIPLOMATIC PROTECTION

Concept: Diplomatic protection has traditionally been seen as an exclusive state right in the sense that a state
exercises diplomatic protection in its own right because an injury to a national is deemed to be an injury to the
state itself.
UNIVERSAL JURISDICTION:
It is about torts.
Aliens torts claims
CASE: FILARTIGA VS PEÑA-IRALA
 1980