The Law of the United Nations

Full course description

Central to this course is the participation in simulations concerning an ongoing international dispute. Students will receive a fictional case and will be required to act on behalf of states as the facts develop. On behalf of their states, students will seek to achieve a peaceful resolution to the dispute by engaging with the primary legal organs of the UN. This course builds upon the skills and knowledge acquired by students in the two prerequisite courses. Students will work extensively with the core legal materials of the UN within the context of its different organs. Emphasis is placed on the actual functioning of these bodies in the context of the resolution of international disputes. Part I – History and Structure of the United Nations (two classes) • Introduction to the history of the UN and the drafting of the Charter. Discussion of the League of Nations and the broader context that led to the creation of the UN and a rules-based international order. • Introduction to the structure of the UN and the powers and functions of its organs. Part II – Case Simulation (six/seven classes) • Participation in simulations before the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the International Court of Justice. • Within these bodies, the students (as representatives of their states) will seek solutions to the ongoing dispute by making use of the powers and procedures of the different UN organs. • Students will engage in negotiations and debates, draft resolutions and written submission, and present oral legal arguments. Part III – Review and Reflection (two classes) • Students will reflect on their performance and the operation of the different organs that they have encountered. • Students conclude by evaluated and assessing the mechanics of the United Nations in practice and consider potential improvements to these institutions as part of the contemporary international legal system.