Over the past several years, members of the Institute have been involved—in some cases instrumental—in the development of standards and guidelines (“soft law”) on a number of contemporary challenges. These documents have in many cases already had significant impacts upon debates—and even practice—in their relevant subject-areas.
The International Law Commission (ILC) is a subsidiary organ of the UN General Assembly. It was established in 1947 to undertake the mandate of the Assembly, under article 13 (1) (a) of the Charter, to “initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of… encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification.”
ICLA Director Christof Heyns is a member of the UN Human Rights Committee since January 2017. The Commttee is an 18-member expert body charged with monitoring observance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. All States parties to the ICCPR are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented.
