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Special Issues on International Law

Judge Ma. Cristina Ramos-Beltran

I. Overview of Basic Principles

A. Definition of International Law

B. Importance/Motives for International Law
C. Branches and Aspects
D. Sources of International Law
E. Fields/Areas

II. The UN System and other international organizations

A. The UN

1. Brief History
2. Functions/Purpose
3. Membership
4. Principal Organs
a. General Assembly
b. Security Council
c. Economic and Social Council
d. Secretariat
e. International Court of Justice
f. Trusteeship Council
5. UN Specialized Agencies
6. UN Subsidiary Organs, Departments and Offices, Funds and Programs,
Research and Training and Other Entities, Bodies and Related Organizations

B. Other non-UN Organization, Bodies and Tribunals

III. Some Areas of International Law and Area-Specific Contemporary Special Issues

A. Settlement of International Disputes - Courts, Tribunals and Arbitration Bodies

1. The International Court of Justice (1946 – present)

2. International Criminal Court
3. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (1996 – present)
4. World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body and Appellate Body
5. Ad hoc Criminal Tribunals
a. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
(1993 – present)
b. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) (1994 – present)
c. Special Court for Sierra Leone (2002 – present)
d. Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (2005 – present)
e. Special Tribunal for Lebanon
f. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
6. United Nations Treaty Bodies
7. Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) (1899 – present)
8. International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) (1966 –
present)
9. Dispute settlement procedures established by the North American Free Trade
Agreement (1992 – present)
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10. Other entities providing dispute settlement facilities for international legal
disputes between private parties:

 International Court of Arbitration (International Chamber of

Commerce)
 London Court of International Arbitration
 International Council for Commercial Arbitration
 Etc.

B. Law of the Sea (covered by Public International Law – will be discussed briefly
just to distinguish it from Shipping Law)
1. Instruments
2. Organizations and Tribunals/Bodies
3. Maritime Disputes/Special Issues
- The West Philippine Sea (South China Sea Arbitration Award)
- Commercial Exploitation of the Seabed

C. International Shipping Law

1. Instruments
2. International Organizations
3. Special Contemporary Issues in International Shipping Law

D. International Air(Aviation) Law

1. Instruments
a. Convention for the Unification of certain rules relating to international
carriage by air (Warsaw Convention and the Hague Protocol)
b. Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention)
c. Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International
Carriage by Air (Montreal Convention)
d. Others
2. International Organization/s
3. Recent Development and Issues

E. Outer Space Law

1. Treaties
a. Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the
Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other
Celestial Bodies (Outer Space Treaty)
b. Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and
the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space (Rescue Agreement)
c. Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space
Objects (Liability Convention)
d. Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space
Registration (Convention)
e. Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other
Celestial Bodies (Moon Agreement)
2. Organization/s
3. Practical Applications
4. Recent Developments and Special Issues
a. Space court and space arbitration
b. Space tourism
c. Militarization of the Outer Space
d. Space Mining Activities
e. Space Traffic Management
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F. International Economic, Trade and Financial Law

1. Instruments
2. International Organizations
3. Special Contemporary Issues

G. International Environmental Law

1. Instruments
2. International Organizations
3. Special Issues
a. Global Atmosphere – climate change and ozone depletion
b. Wildlife Conservation and Biological Diversity
c. Ocean and Marine environment
d. Global Movement of Chemicals, wastes and hazardous substances

H. International Law of Cultural Relations, Education, Sports (special topics under

Human Rights Law)
1. Basic Principles
a. Cultural heritage, defined
b. Intangible Cultural Heritage
c. Destruction of Cultural Heritage as a War Crime
2. Instruments
a. UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage
b. UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural
Heritage
c. Rome Statute – ICC
d. UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural
Objects
e. UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the
Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural
Property
f. UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the
Event of Armed Conflict
g. Treaty on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and
Historic Monuments (Roerich Pact)
3. Organizations
4. Special Issues

I. Health Covid-19 Pandemic and International Law

J. Drugs/Narcotics
K. Others Areas/Field/Topics (covered by Public International Law so will not be
covered unless there’s time to discuss the special issues)
1. International Criminal Law
2. Transnational crimes and international crimes
3. International Human Rights Law
4. International Labor Law
5. International Migration
6. International Terrorism
7. Intervention
8. Refugees
9. International Humanitarian Law
a. War, Peace
b. Disarmament
c. Use of Force
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Schedule:
Week 1 - Class Introduction and Part I
Week 2 – Part II and Part III-A
Week 3 – Part III-B (in passing only as it is covered by PIL Class) and Part III-C
Week 4 – Part III-D and Part III-E
Week 5- Part III-F, III-G and III-H
Week 6 – Par III-I, III-J and III-K

Required Readings for Week 1

Charter of the United Nations - https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter

Statute of the International Court of Justice - https://legal.un.org/avl/pdf/ha/sicj/icj_statute_e.pdf

or https://www.icj-cij.org/en/statute

UN System Chart - https://www.un.org/en/pdfs/un_system_chart.pdf

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties -

https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/1_1_1969.pdf

Any textbook in Public International Law

Other references (throughout the course):

International Law Handbook - https://legal.un.org/avl/handbook.html

Audio Visual Library of International Law - https://legal.un.org/avl/rl_introduction.html
List of Treaties Deposited with the UN Secretary General -
https://treaties.un.org/doc/source/titles/english.pdf
Status of Treaties - https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ParticipationStatus.aspx?clang=_en