DISPUTE SETTLEMENT: LEGAL AFFAIRS

International Law Today

Summer discussion with members of the International Law Commission and other international law experts

WTO Centre William Rappard
Friday, 29 July 2016, 14:30–17:00, Room D

The Legal Affairs Division (LAD) of the WTO Secretariat will hold a conference on the theme "International Law Today" on Friday, 29 July 2016, in honour of Ms Valerie Hughes, outgoing Director of LAD. The conference will provide an opportunity to thank Ms Hughes for her long and distinguished career at the WTO, where she has served as Director of both the Appellate Body Secretariat and LAD, and to discuss the development of international law.

International law is undergoing a period of rapid change. In recent years, international regulation has become increasingly specialized, and now touches on a broader range of subject matter - from international fisheries to outer space, from international warfare to cross-border economic and development cooperation, from international trade to the protection of cultural heritage. However, the expansion of the international legal sphere has raised questions about the coherence of the international legal order and has drawn attention to the importance of ensuring that different international legal regimes are mutually supportive.

The work of the International Law Commission (ILC) bears upon many of the most important and challenging legal issues raised by the development of international law. Its work influences many international legal disciplines and, by extension, the work of most international organizations, including the WTO. With the objective of better understanding the ILC and the significance of its work for international organizations such as the WTO, the "International Law Today" conference will welcome members of the ILC and other international legal experts to discuss their work and the development of international law today.

Professor Laurence Boisson de Chazournes (Geneva) and Professor Hélène Ruiz-Fabri (Sorbonne and Luxembourg) as well as members of the ILC – Professor Concepción Escobar Hernández (Spain), Professor Donald McRae (Canada), Professor Sean Murphy (United States), Professor Pavel Šturma (Czech Republic) and Sir Michael Wood (United Kingdom) – will discuss international law today, from their own perspectives. They will share their unique insights into new areas of international law and practice, the fresh challenges facing the discipline, and the innovative approaches being developed in the ILC and elsewhere to ensure the coherence and effectiveness of the international legal system.

Programme

Friday, 29 July 2016, 14:30–17:00, Room D

Professor Laurence Boisson-de-Chazournes (France/SWZ):
“The continued relevance of general international law in the interpretation and application of lex specialis regimes

Professor Sean Murphy (USA):
“International law and island disputes (The 2016 Philippines v. China arbitral award)”

Professor Concepción Escobar Hernández (Spain):
“Immunities in international law today”

Professor Pavel Šturma (CZ):
“The WTO DSB as a model for TTIP: a good or bad transplant?”

Sir Michael Wood (UK):
“Customary international law and the WTO”

Professor Don McRae (Canada):
“The use and mis-use of international law in WTO jurisprudence”

Professor Hélène Ruiz-Fabri (France):
“The legal value and impact of decisions and actions of international organizations: what room for secondary law in WTO law?”

If you are interested in attending this unique and topical conference, please register with Inger Bauer ([email protected]) or Saskia Shuster ([email protected]).