Course 2018-2019 a.y.

The course covers the following topics:

• The concept of an international organization, the contemporary place of international organizations in international law and society, and essential background principles of public international law.
• The legal personality and legal capacities of international organizations.
• The constituent instrument of an international organization, agreements on the privileges and immunities of international organizations, and headquarters and other host-state agreements.
• Membership of international organizations.
• The voting rights of member states of international organizations.
• The funding of international organizations.
• The organs and subsidiary organs of international organizations.
• The powers of international organizations.
• The international legal rights and obligations of international organizations.
• The international legal rights and obligations of member states of international organizations and non-member states.
• The legal responsibility of international organizations and their officials.
• The privileges and immunities of international organizations and their member states.
• Internal and external redress for the conduct of international organizations.
• The dissolution of international organizations.

• Understand the concept of an international organization, appreciate the contemporary place of international organizations in international law and society, and grasp the essential principles of international law which form the juridical backdrop to the law of international organizations.
• Understand the distinct concepts of the legal personality and legal capacities, under international and national law, of international organizations and how such personality and capacities are conferred.
• Be familiar with the phenomena of the constituent agreements of international organizations, agreements on the privileges and immunities of international organizations, and headquarters and other host-state agreements relating to international organizations, know and understand the rules of international law governing the interpretation and application of such agreements, and be familiar with the advisory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in this regard.
• Be familiar with the varying criteria for, and know and understand the typical international legal issues relating to, membership of and voting rights within international organizations.
• Be familiar with the different models for, and typical practical issues associated with, the funding of international organizations.
• Be familiar with the phenomenon of the organs of an international organization and know and understand the international legal issues relating to the creation of and control over subsidiary organs.
• Know and understand the international legal issues relating to the powers of international organizations and their specific organs.
• Know and understand the international legal issues relating to the international legal rights and obligations of international organizations.
• Know and understand the international legal issues relating to the international legal rights and obligations of member states of international organizations and non-member states.
• Know and understand the rules of international law, and be familiar with the typical determinants of national law, relating to the legal responsibility of international organizations and their officials.
• Know and understand the international legal and practical issues relating to the privileges and immunities of international organizations and their member states.
• Know and understand the international legal and practical issues relating to internal and external redress for the conduct of international organizations.
• Know and understand the international legal and practical issues associated with the dissolution of international organizations.

Apply the law of international organizations to different factual scenarios, both hypothetical and real, and to evaluate critically this law.

• Face-to-face lectures
• Case studies /Incidents (traditional, online)

The case studies/incidents method of teaching involves live and online engagement with both ‘problem-style’ (i.e. practical) and ‘essay-style’ (i.e. reflective) questions.

Assessment is by way of final written examination, in English, containing both ‘problem-style’ and ‘essay-style’ questions. A grade may not be declined after the results of the final examination have been posted.

Textbook:

• N. WHITE,  The Law of International Organisations, Manchester University Press, 2017, Third edition. Students are advised to purchase the textbook. Excerpts are not made available online.

Additional materials:

• Additional primary and secondary materials, accessible either online or in hard copy form, are indicated for each part of the course. There is no need for students to purchase any of these other materials.