The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)
50th Session of the International Law Seminar (ILS)
7 - 25 July 2014, Palais des Nations, Geneva
Deadline for application: 14 March 2014

The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) organized the very first International Law Seminar (ILS) in 1965, in connection with the annual session of the International Law Commission (ILC), for a duration of three weeks. The Seminar takes place on an annual basis.

Objective
The Seminar aims to enable postgraduate students or young university teachers specialized in international law, as well as young lawyers working in the international law field, to widen their knowledge of both the work of the International Law Commission and of the codification and progressive development of international law. It also provides an opportunity for lawyers coming from different legal systems and cultures to exchange views regarding items on the agenda of the Commission.

The International Law Seminar is not intended to be an introduction to international law. Applicants must prove a sound knowledge of international law, on the basis of either their postgraduate studies or significant professional experience in the field.

Participation and organization
A maximum of 24 participants from various Member States of the United Nations will be admitted to the Seminar. Applicants must be between 24 and 38 years old on 1 January 2014. Participants wil attend the meetings of the International Law Commission as well as a series of lectures given by members of the Commission, officials of the United Nations or Specialized Agencies in Geneva and other distinguished speakers. Moreover, participants are expected to take an active part in the discussions following each lecture and to produce short papers within small working groups on topics on the agenda of the Commission.

The working languages of the Seminar will be English, French and Spanish. As simultaneous interpretation may not be available for all sessions, candidates must have good knowledge of two of the working languages. All participants will be give access to the Libray and the Cyberspace of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

While participation in the Seminar is free, the United Nations cannot cover either travel costs or living expenses of the participants. However, a limited number of fellowships will be made available to participants, particularly from developing countries (travel and/or living expenses), depending on the amount of voluntary contributions received from Governments.

Programme
The International Law Commission will deal with the following topics:
• Expulsion of aliens
• The obligation to extradite or prosecute (aut dedere aut judicare)
• Protection of persons in the event of disasters
• Immunity of state officials from foreign criminal jurisdiction
• Subsequent agreements and subsequent practice in relation to the interpretation of treaties
• The Most-Favoured-Nation Clause
• Provisional application of treaties
• Formation and evidence of customary international law
• Protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts
• Protection of the atmosphere
 
A detailed programme of the Seminar will be established and communicated to participants in due course.
 
Detailed information on the conditions to participate, the selection process, application, fellowships etc. can be found here.