Enforcing international law
A major structural problem of international law is its enforcement (or perhaps we should say lack thereof). Indeed, how can, for instance, ILO standards be enforced in practice, especially in fragile states where the central government might simply not be able to enforce (inter)national law standards? What role might there be for businesses and other non-state actors in this context? While recognising that the problem of enforcement is not limited to a certain sub-field of international law, the current proposal will focus on two sub-fields of international law:
- international criminal law and more specifically, the law related to the international criminal tribunals, because it is a vital component in addressing causes of conflicts and contributing to justice in (fragile) states and because it is particularly relevant to The Hague;
- international human rights law, because lack of enforcement directly implies lack of human rights protection for individuals and communities.
T.M.C. Asser Instituut 2013
Located in the ‘international zone’ of The Hague – the City of Justice, Peace and Security, The T.M.C. Asser Instituut-a distinctive, inter-university research Institute specialised in International and European law- is a unique clustering of knowledge and experience in scholarly research, education and training, knowledge management and dissemination, publishing and academic community organizing.