Call for Papers: Expert Workshop on the Responsibility of International Organizations

The American Society of International Law’s International Organizations Interest Group, Seton Hall Law School, and the Center on International Cooperation at New York University are co-sponsoring an Experts Workshop on the Responsibility of International Organizations to take place in New York, on October 30, 2009. Here's the call for papers:

Since 2000 the International Law Commission (ILC) has been working to codify, in a series of draft articles, the law on the responsibility of international organizations (IOs). This topic considers the nature of internationally wrongful acts committed by IOs. Can IOs violate international law in the same manner as states? If not, are they bound by a subset of the norms governing state conduct? This fall, the Sixth Committee of the UN will consider draft articles adopted on first reading on the responsibility of IOs.

The American Society of International Law’s International Organizations Interest Group, Seton Hall Law School, and the Center on International Cooperation at NYU, are co-sponsoring an Experts Workshop on the Responsibility of International Organizations to take place in New York, on October 30, 2009. We invite scholars writing in the area to submit works in progress to present at the meeting which will be attended by members of the International Law Commission, Diplomats involved in Sixth Committee negotiations, and academics. The experts’ workshop will address the following themes:

1. Whether and what sort of countermeasures are permissible against an IO that has committed an internationally wrongful act. (Draft Article 19)

2. The extent to which IOs share responsibility with their member states for acts taken pursuant to an IO's decision or recommendation. (Draft Article 5)

3. Whether the European Court of Human Rights' decision in the Behrami and Saramati case was correct. In that case the court held that acts by soldiers in KFOR and UNMIK were attributable to the UN and not the member states of which the soldiers were nationals.

4. Judicial review of the Responsibility of International Organizations.

The conference organizers are seeking a suitable venue for the publication of some of the papers presented at the workshop. If you are interested in being considered for participation, please send your proposal (indicating which substantive theme your paper addresses), a CV, and a draft of the paper, to Kristen Boon at Kristen.boon@shu.edu and Jacob Cogan at jacob.cogan@uc.edu by October 1, 2009. Due to limited funds, the conference organizers cannot pay the expenses of participants, although every effort will be made to award partial stipends where needed.