Contested Fundamentals of the Law of International Organizations

International organizations have existed since the Nineteenth century but their essential legal features are still disputed. It is striking that issues such as the acquisition and incidents of international legal personality and the validity of ultra vires acts are as controversial today as they were when the League of Nations was created. Against this backdrop, the purpose of the seminar is to revisit the contested fundamentals of the law of international organizations and to situate them in the context of current issues faced by the international community. The first panel focuses on the concept of an international organization in international law, tackling issues such as autonomy from member states, transparency of the institutional veil, and the appropriateness of the analogy with states. The second panel focuses on issues of accountability, discussing alternative routes to international responsibility, immunities before domestic courts, and the settlement of disputes by arbitral tribunals.

Roger O’Keefe Bocconi University

Catherine Brolmann University of Amsterdam

Fernando Lusa Bordin University of Cambridge

Richard Collins University College Dublin

Irini Papanicolopulu Bicocca University of Milan

Giovanna Adinolfi University of Milan

Martina Buscemi University of Milan

Rutsel Martha Lindeborg Counsellors at Law

Miriam Allena Bocconi University

Jan Klabbers University of Helsinki

Lorenzo Gasbarri Bocconi University